I was named after a great aunt and recently figured out that she was probably named after her great grandmother. Her mother's mother died when her mother was born and the Civil War showed up so her mother's father rode off (he was Calvary :-) to be in it. I surmise my great grandmother was left as a baby with her maternal grandmother who my great aunt was then named after.

Ah, but why was I named after this great aunt? She and my grandmother were very close and my great aunt had a son who was only a couple months older than my mother and, according to my second cousin :-) my mother and her cousin were very fond of one another. I figure my mother must have liked her aunt also. My mother was named after her mother who was named after her father so I don't think they wanted to bestow that name on me too :-)