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I love the name Emily. Yes, it's popular, but be grateful your parents gave you such an energetic, happy sounding classic. It will serve you well throughout your life. Emily Dickinson, Emily Bronte -- they sound as fresh today as when they were born almost two hundred years ago.

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We all go through phases of wondering what it would be like to have another name. I suppose I was lucky as a Catholic teenager, I got to choose a confirmation name. Yes, that was fun.

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But as an attorney I have to caution you to think before you leap. Birth records, medical records, school transcripts, not to mention social security numbers, bank accounts, credit reports etc. Do you really want to go through and change all that? When I got married I kept my maiden name. Not because of any feminist zeal, but the prospect of doing it right was daunting. I've seen what can go wrong.

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Mull it over for a while. Give it a year. If you still feel like doing it then, then you can go to court and change it legally. I hope you'll learn to love the name Emily, though. It really is a great name.

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P.S. How about keeping Emily as your legal name, but using a different nn? Mia or Mimi would be sweet.