As a Brit, I'm used to the phrase named after being used to say how something got its name. For example, in Wikipedia's List of eponymous roads in London, we read that Addison Road is named after the English essayist, poet, playwright and politician Joseph Addision(1672–1719). But sometimes I hear or read named for, where it's clear from the context that the intent is the same. It seems to me that this latter usage is exclusively American. Is this so? And in what sense is for being used here?
Learn English – “Named for” vs. “named after”
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"After the signal" is not used in the U.S. "after the tone" or "after the beep" is most common. perhaps "after the signal" is a literal translation? Both "tone" and "beep" could be translated as 'signal'
The legend about Achilles heel is at the origin of the expression Achilles tendon:
or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon (Latin: Tendo calcaneus), is a tendon of the back of the leg, and the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (heel) bone. These muscles, acting via the tendon, cause plantar flexion of the foot at the ankle, and flexion at the knee.
"Achilles heel", referring to a vulnerability, relates to the mythical story of Achilles, who was slain during the Trojan war by a poisoned arrow to his heel.
In his Metamorphoses, Ovid suggested that Achilles had a vulnerable spot on his body; but the Roman poet, Statius (c. A.D. 45-96), was the first to imply in a poem that it was his heel. (Wikipedia)
Achilles tendon: (etymonline)
- from Modern Latin tendo Achillis, first used by German surgeon Heister and so-called in reference to the one vulnerable spot of the great Greek hero Achilles, whose mother held him by the heel when she dipped him in the River Styx to render him invulnerable (though this story is not in Homer and not found before 1c. C.E.). Earlier Achilles' sinew, from Modern Latin chorda Achillis, coined 1693 by Dutch anatomist Philip Verheyden when dissecting his own amputated leg. Hence figurative use of heel of Achillies for "vulnerable spot" (1810).
Best Answer
I've seen both 'named for' and 'named after' being used in many different cases:
Both are correct and interchangeable.
But let's look at some more examples:
The first rightly means 'in honor of' while the second one, I suppose, is close to 'derives from' or 'on behalf of' and sounds odd.
The first sentence here means 'because of'. The second still has the meaning 'in honor of'.
My guess would be that 'named for' has more to do with things and combination of things while "named after' has more to do with living creatures and people. Yet, I have to admit that in most cases both are correct and possible.
There's a slightly different meaning when we use prepositions in these examples:
Consider the first to be a request - I ask another person to find the right name for the restaurant because I don't know what name to use. The second clearly states that I want the restaurant to have my name on it.