What is the word for a person's name when that name has been derived from the name of a place/animal/thing? For example, one of the characters in the story "Hands" (by Sherwood Anderson) is named 'Wing'; the name having been given to him after the wing of a bird.
synecdoche
syn·ec·do·che ( P ) Pronunciation Key (s-nkd-k) n.
A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword).
Native Americans had a particular fondness for synecdoche .. an endearing characteristic which is often romanticized in story and song. Hence:
On the banks of the river
stood Runnin' Bear, young Indian brave
On the other side of the river
stood his lovely Indian maid
Little White Dove was her name,
such a lovely sight to see
But their tribes fought with each other
so their love could never be
Runnin' Bear loved Little White Dove
with a love big as the sky
Runnin' Bear loved Little White Dove
with a love that couldn't die
