Necronym

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A necronym is a reference to or name of a person who has died. Many cultures have taboos and traditions associated with referring to such a person. These vary from the extreme of never again speaking the person's actual name, often using some circumlocution instead, to the opposite extreme of commemorating it incessantly by naming other things or people after the deceased.

For instance, in some cultures it is common for a newborn child to receive the name (a necronym) of a relative who has recently died, while in others to reuse such a name would be considered extremely inappropriate or even forbidden. While this varies from culture to culture, the use of necronyms is quite common.

In Italian culture, it is common to name a child the same name as an older sibling that has died in infancy, sometimes more than once if two or more children in a row die in infancy.

In Ashkenazi Jewish culture, it is a custom to name a child after a beloved relative who died as a way of honoring them. Often the child will share the same Hebrew name as their namesake but not their given name.

The practice of bestowing necronyms has sometimes caused confusion for historians. This is primarily because of the two birth certificates or records that could be present at a given time. This confusion often stems from the inability to differentiate the records of each child. One such example is the case of Shigechiyo Izumi.