namesake

Mid-17th century. Equivalent to name +‎ sake. 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).

• enPR: nāmʹsāk, IPA^(key): /ˈneɪmseɪk/

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namesake (plural namesakes)

1. (originally) One who is named after another or for whom another is named.

   Synonym: eponym

   • 2018, James Lambert, “Setting the Record Straight: An In-depth Examination of Hobson-Jobson”, in International Journal of Lexicography, volume 31, number 4, →DOI, page 493:

     It is the only citation from 1902, and was clearly added to the manuscript at a late stage, being only one of two examples of the dictionary’s namesake actually discovered by Crooke.

2. (by extension) A ship or a building that is named after someone or something.
3. A person with the same name as another.

namesake (third-person singular simple present namesakes, present participle namesaking, simple past and past participle namesaked)

1. (transitive) To name (somebody) after somebody else.