R"H 18 - Naming after Rabbis

The gemara tells us that רבן יוחנן בן זכאי was able to extend the lives of a certain family through his sage advice. Because he was such a great help, the gemara tells us that the entire family became known as משפחת רבן יוחנן after him. This is reminiscent of two other sources where the naming of a particular child was chosen based on a person who made an impact in the child's existence. First, in בבא מציעא דף פד: the gemara tells us that Rabi Eliezer b'Rabi paskened on sixty different blood stains from 60 different women that they were tahor. They all concieved and named their children after him. Second, גמרא שבת דף קלד tells us that Nasan Habavli saved a baby's life by paskening when it was ready for a bris. As a result the baby was named after him. I have a more complete treatment of the issue of whether a child should be named after a family member or a rabbi in my article on how to choose a name for your child which can be found at www.bknw.org or in the link provided below and in the RJJ journal from a couple of years ago. http://www.bknw.org/pafiledb/uploads/Choosing%20a%20Name.pdf