In biological nomenclature, organisms often receive scientific names that honor a person.
A taxon (e.g. species or genus; plural: taxa) named in honor of another entity is an eponymous taxon, and names specifically honoring a person or persons are known as patronyms.
It also includes ensembles in which at least one member was born within those dates; but excludes companies, institutions, ethnic groups or nationalities, and populated places.
It does not include organisms named for fictional entities (which can be found in the List of organisms named after works of fiction), for biologists, paleontologists or other natural scientists,[note 1] nor for associates or family members of researchers who were not otherwise notable; exceptions are made, however, for natural scientists who are much more famous for other aspects of their lives, such as, for example, writers Vladimir Nabokov or Beatrix Potter.
Organisms named after famous people born earlier can be found in: Organisms named after famous people born later can be found in: The scientific names are given as originally described (their basionyms); subsequent research may have placed species in different genera, or rendered them taxonomic synonyms of previously described taxa.