diff --git a/sendgrid/helpers/mail/mail.py b/sendgrid/helpers/mail/mail.py
index de41bad70..a2159b25d 100644
--- a/sendgrid/helpers/mail/mail.py
+++ b/sendgrid/helpers/mail/mail.py
@@ -262,11 +262,15 @@ class Email(object):
     def __init__(self, email=None, name=None):
         self._name = None
         self._email = None
-
-        if email is not None:
-            self.email = email
-        if name is not None:
-            self.name = name
+        if name or email:
+            if not name:
+                # allows passing emails as "dude Fella <example@example.com>"
+                self.parse_email(email)
+            else:
+                #allows backwards compatibility for Email(email, name)
+                if email is not None:
+                    self.email = email
+                self.name = name
 
     @property
     def name(self):
@@ -293,6 +297,28 @@ def get(self):
             email["email"] = self.email
         return email
 
+    def parse_email(self, email_info):
+        try:
+            import rfc822
+        except ImportError:
+            import email.utils as rfc822
+        
+        name, email = rfc822.parseaddr(email_info)
+        
+        # more than likely a string was passed here instead of an email address
+        if "@" not in email:
+            name = email
+            email = None
+
+        if not name:
+            name = None
+            
+        if not email:
+            email = None
+
+        self.name = name
+        self.email = email
+        return name, email
 
 class Content(object):
 
diff --git a/test/test_email.py b/test/test_email.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..92ae10aaa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test_email.py
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+import json
+
+from sendgrid.helpers.mail import (Email)
+
+try:
+    import unittest2 as unittest
+except ImportError:
+    import unittest
+
+
+class TestEmailObject(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_add_email_address(self):
+        address = "test@example.com"
+        email = Email(address)
+
+        self.assertEqual(email.email, "test@example.com")
+    
+    def test_add_name(self):
+        name = "SomeName"
+        email = Email(name=name)
+
+        self.assertEqual(email.name, name)
+    
+    def test_add_name_email(self):
+        name = "SomeName"
+        address = "test@example.com"
+        email = Email(email=address, name=name)
+        self.assertEqual(email.name, name)
+        self.assertEqual(email.email, "test@example.com")
+
+    def test_add_rfc_function_finds_name_not_email(self):
+        name = "SomeName"
+        email = Email(name)
+
+        self.assertEqual(email.name, name)
+        self.assertIsNone(email.email)
+
+    def test_add_rfc_email(self):
+        name = "SomeName"
+        address = "test@example.com"
+        name_address = "{0} <{1}>".format(name, address)
+        email = Email(name_address)
+        self.assertEqual(email.name, name)
+        self.assertEqual(email.email, "test@example.com")
+    
+    def test_empty_obj_add_name(self):
+        email = Email()
+        name = "SomeName"
+        email.name = name
+
+        self.assertEqual(email.name, name)
+
+    def test_empty_obj_add_email(self):
+        email = Email()
+        address = "test@example.com"
+        email.email = address
+
+        self.assertEqual(email.email, address)
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