namesake

IPA/ˈneɪmseɪk/
KK[nˈemsˌek]IPA/ˈneɪmseɪk/

namesake — noun

  • namesakesingular
  • namesakesplural

1. any person, place, or object whose name is identical to that of someone or somet

1.nounB2
Definition

any person, place, or object whose name is identical to that of someone or something else — often given in honour of the earlier bearer of the name

Example

My grandfather and I are namesakes — we both carry the name Thomas.

possessive pronoun + are namesakes — 'my ... and I are namesakes'

The boy Leo was a namesake of his uncle, a war hero.

a namesake of [someone] — naming pattern with 'of'

Common collocations
  • someone's namesake
  • a namesake of
  • younger / older namesake
  • famous namesake
  • share a name with one's namesake
  • meet one's namesake
Synonyms
  • eponym

    a person after whom something is named (opposite direction); e.g. 'Sandwich' is an eponym of the Earl of Sandwich

  • namesake (for things)

    used for places, buildings, restaurants, or brands that share a name with another location

Grammar Patterns

someone's + namesake

a / the namesake of [someone/something]

namesake + [noun] (e.g. namesake restaurant)

Usage Note

Often used with a possessive determiner ('his namesake', 'its Parisian namesake'). Common pattern is 'a namesake of [person/place]'. Can describe both people ('the singer's younger namesake') and institutions or places ('the original restaurant's London namesake').

Common Mistakes

He is my same name.
He is my namesake.
'namesake' is the correct noun for a person who shares your name; do not use 'same name' as an adjective.
She is a name-sake of the founder.
She is a namesake of the founder.
'namesake' is written as one word, not hyphenated.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Namesake' refers to a person, place, or thing that shares a name with another — often because the name was chosen in honour of the earlier one. An 'eponym' is the original person or thing that gives a name to something else: for example, Sherlock Holmes is the eponym of the Sherlock Holmes Museum. A 'counterpart' is someone or something that has a similar function or role in a different location — but it does not imply a shared name. If you say 'the New York restaurant's London counterpart,' you mean the London restaurant that serves a similar purpose, not one with the same name. Use 'namesake' for the same-name relationship, 'eponym' for the origin of a name, and 'counterpart' for functional equivalents.

namesake ↗eponymcounterpart ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • someone's namesake
  • a namesake of someone
  • be named after one's namesake

Prepositions

Etymology

Englishfrom the phrase 'for the name's sake'

'Namesake' comes from the phrase 'for the name's sake', which originally meant giving a child a name for the purpose of preserving or honouring that name. The word was formed by combining 'name' with 'sake' (as in 'for the sake of'). It appeared in English in the mid-1600s, first referring to people who shared a name and later extending to places and things.