namesake

Meanings

Noun

• One who is named after another or for whom another is named.
• A ship or a building that is named after someone or something.
• A person with the same name as another.

Verb

• To name (somebody) after somebody else.

Origin

• Mid-17th century. Equivalent to . From the phrase "for (one's) name's sake", first found in Bible translations as a rendering of a Hebrew idiom meaning "to protect one's reputation" or possibly "vouched for by one's reputation." A familiar example is in Psalm 23:3, "he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake" (King James Bible, 1604).