Anamesake is a person, place, or thing bearing the name of another. Most commonly, it refers to an individual who is purposely named after another[1] (e.g.John F. Kennedy Jr would be the namesake ofJohn F. Kennedy). In commonparlance, it may mean vice-versa (i.e. referring to the entity for which the second entity is named); in such a case, however, the proper term would be "eponym."[2][3][1][4]
The word is first attested around 1635,[1] and probably comes from the phrase "for one's name's sake",[2][5][6]which originates in English Bible translations as a rendering of a Hebrew idiom meaning "to protect one's reputation" or possibly "vouched for by one's reputation." Examples are in Psalm 23:3, "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake" (King James Bible, 1604), or in the metrical version "e'en for His own name's sake" (Rous 1641, Scottish Psalter 1650, seeThe Lord's My Shepherd).
Whennamesake refers to something or someone who is named after something or someone else, the second recipient of a name is usually said to be thenamesake of the first. This usage usually refers to humans named after other humans,[1][4] but current usage also allows things to be or have namesakes.[2][3] Sometimes the first recipient can also be called thenamesake;[1] however, the correct and unambiguous term would be theeponym.
Naming a child after a relative, friend, or well-known person is a common practice in the English-speaking world. Continued practise of naming a child after the parent or grandparent may result in several relatives (e.g. cousins) being namesakes of each other despite not having been named after each other.
AmongAshkenazi Jews, it is customary to name a child after a dead relative, such as the child's grandparent, but never after a living person.[7]Sephardic Jews traditionally are encouraged to name their children after relatives, living or dead.[7] Greek families traditionally name a child after its paternal grandparents and the second child of the same sex is named after its maternal grandparents.
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When a son is named after his father, "Jr."/"II", "III'", or anothername suffix may be added to the name of the son (and sometimes "Sr." or a prior number to the father's name), in order to distinguish between individuals, especially if both father and son become famous, as in the case of poetOliver Wendell Holmes Sr. and his son,Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., an associate justice of theUnited States Supreme Court.
Sometimes the "Jr." or "Sr." suffix is applied even when the child's legal name differs from that of the parent. One example is that of the singer Hiram King Williams, known professionally asHank Williams, and his son Randall Hank Williams, known professionally asHank Williams Jr. Daughters being named after their mothers using similar suffixes is less common. One example is thoroughbred jockeyRosemary Homeister Jr. whose mother was also a jockey before turning to train. A more archaic method of distinguishing father from son was to follow the name with "the Elder" or "the Younger", respectively, for exampleWilliam Pitt the Elder andWilliam Pitt the Younger. For an extensive list, seeList of people known as the Elder or the Younger.
Buildings, such as theFisher Building, and companies, like theFord Motor Company, are often named after their founders or owners. Biological species and celestial bodies are frequently named after their discoverers.[8] Alternatively, their discoverers may name them in honor of others.[9] Occasionally, material goods, such as toys or garments, may be named after people closely associated with them in the public mind. Theteddy bear, for example, was named after PresidentTheodore Roosevelt, because of a popular story in which the then-President objected to cruel treatment of a bear by hunters.[10]
Thefedora hat may be considered the "namesake" of a fictional character, Princess Fédora Romanoff, from an 1887 play,Fédora, by Victorien Sardou. In her portrayal of that character,Sarah Bernhardt wore a soft felt hat with a center crease, which became known popularly as a "fedora".[11] The same is true of thetrilby hat, named after the title character of the playTrilby.
SeveralUnited States military aircraft have served as the namesake of previous aircraft. TheFairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft was named after the WWII-eraRepublic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber.[12] TheMcDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is the namesake of theMcDonnell FH Phantom.[13] Uniquely, theLTV A-7 Corsair II serves as the namesake of both theVought F4U Corsair and the earlierVought O2U Corsair, the former also being the namesake of the latter. The newest fighter of the United States, theLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is the namesake of theUnited States Army Air Forces twin-enginedLockheed P-38 Lightning.[14]
