Eponym
/ˈɛp.ə.nɪm/noun
A person, place, or thing after which something else is named.
Did you know?In ancient Greek, an eponym was often a real person whose name was used to identify an era, office, or place, so naming could function like a kind of social immortality.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἐπώνυμος (epṓnymos)
“giving one’s name to something; named after a person”
Late Greek
Greek
ἐπώνυμον (epṓnymon)
“a name derived from a person or thing”
Late Latin
Latin
eponymum
“a name derived from a person or thing”
16th Century
English
eponyme / eponym
“a name or title derived from a person’s name”
Modern English
English
eponym
“a person, place, or thing after which something else is named”