"Named after NP" vs. "named for NP"

[Arnold Zwicky]

On Jun 6, 2010, at 11:52 AM, David Wake wrote:

> British English allows only "named after".

the OED (draft rev. Mar. 2010) is a bit more cautious, offering the Ps "after", "from", and "for" (this one labeled "now chiefly N.Amer.") for the relevant sense of the verb "name".  "from" (as in "he was named Rufus from the color of his hair") clearly is different from the other two, so let's put it aside.
>
> On Jun 6, 2010, at 10:22, Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
>>
>> For me, thosse [?though] these two phrases are noticeably distinct by virtue of
>> the PREP used, for me, they have exactly the same meaning.
>>
>> Do others feel a distinction between the two?

i see a difference (in my AmE), but it's pretty subtle.  in "he was named P his uncle Frederick", either is fine for me, and i don't think that i could articulate a difference.  but in "he was named P Frederick the Great of Prussia", "after" strikes me as a bit odd; it seems to suggest a close connection between him and Friedrich der Grosse. but the judgment is very subtle, and i suspect others don't share it.

arnold

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