diff --git a/sendgrid/helpers/mail/email.py b/sendgrid/helpers/mail/email.py
index 5f2d541a5..3c2cb3bbb 100644
--- a/sendgrid/helpers/mail/email.py
+++ b/sendgrid/helpers/mail/email.py
@@ -17,6 +17,12 @@
     __html_parser__ = HTMLParser()
     html_entity_decode = __html_parser__.unescape
 
+try:
+     basestring = basestring
+except NameError:
+    # Define basestring when Python >= 3.0
+    basestring = str
+
 
 class Email(object):
     """An email address with an optional name."""
@@ -82,7 +88,7 @@ def name(self, value):
         :param value: Name associated with this email.
         :type value: string
         """
-        if not (value is None or isinstance(value, str)):
+        if not (value is None or isinstance(value, basestring)):
             raise TypeError('name must be of type string.')
 
         # Escape common CSV delimiters as workaround for
diff --git a/test/test_email.py b/test/test_email.py
index 665d7de52..eb50374aa 100644
--- a/test/test_email.py
+++ b/test/test_email.py
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@ def test_add_name(self):
 
         self.assertEqual(email.name, name)
 
+    def test_add_unicode_name(self):
+        name = u"SomeName"
+        email = Email(name=name)
+
+        self.assertEqual(email.name, name)
+
     def test_add_name_email(self):
         name = "SomeName"
         address = "test@example.com"
@@ -25,6 +31,13 @@ def test_add_name_email(self):
         self.assertEqual(email.name, name)
         self.assertEqual(email.email, "test@example.com")
 
+    def test_add_unicode_name_email(self):
+        name = u"SomeName"
+        address = u"test@example.com"
+        email = Email(email=address, name=name)
+        self.assertEqual(email.name, name)
+        self.assertEqual(email.email, u"test@example.com")
+
     def test_add_rfc_function_finds_name_not_email(self):
         name = "SomeName"
         email = Email(name)
@@ -60,3 +73,10 @@ def test_add_name_with_comma(self):
         email.name = name
 
         self.assertEqual(email.name, '"' + name + '"')
+
+    def test_add_unicode_name_with_comma(self):
+        email = Email()
+        name = u"Name, Some"
+        email.name = name
+
+        self.assertEqual(email.name, u'"' + name + u'"')