A namespace is a specifiable context in which a name has meaning. By giving a namespace a unique label, ambiguous interpretations can be avoided. The name "Chris", for instance, is very meaningful within the Nandor home, but quite ambiguous outside it.  As such, it must be tied to a unique namespace (i.e., "Nandor").

If Chris has an unmarried sister named Jennifer, and then marries a woman named Jennifer who takes his family name, a name clash will occur with the names of the two ladies. The name clash may be alleviated by changing one of the ladies' names (unlikely), removing one of them from existence (usually illegal), or by moving one of them to another namespace (i.e., mar-

rying off the sister).