Namesake is a term used to characterize a person, place, thing, quality, action, state, or idea that has the same, or a similar, name to another - especially (but not exclusively) if the person or thing is actually named after another, rather than merely sharing the name of another.For example, if a person, place, or thing has the same name as another - especially if they are named after another person, place, or thing, then the one that is named after the other, i.e., the recipient of the naming, is said to be the namesake of the name source.