It is obvious from Anne’s desires to be called Cordelia that a name matters very much to her. While relating her personal history to Marilla in Chapter 5, Anne says that she is glad her parents had nice names:

“I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it. I don’t believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage. I suppose my father could have been a good man even if he had been called Jedediah; but I’m sure it would have been a cross.”

The phrase “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” originates from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: Juliet claims that Romeo’s name is not a part of him, and therefore it does not matter that his last name is Montague because he would still be the same person whether his name was Romeo or not, just as a rose would still be a rose no matter what it is called.

Emily discusses her epic poem, “The Child of the Sea”, with Father Cassidy and asks for advice on how to get her heroine out of a medieval convent. Father Cassidy compares her “original plot” to the feuding families of Montague and Capulet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet:

“Let us see, now. It’s no light matter you’ve undertaken, young lady. How stands the case? Editha has taken the veil, not because she has a religious vocation but because she imagines her heart is broken. The Catholic Church does not release its nuns from their vows because they happen to think they’ve made a little mistake av that sort. No, no–we must have a better reason. Is this Editha the sole child av her real parents?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, then the way is clear. If she had had any brothers or sisters you would have had to kill them off, which is a messy thing to do. Well, then, she is the sole daughter and heiress av a noble family who have for years been at deadly feud with another noble family–the family av the lover. Do you know what a feud is?”

“Of course,” said Emily disdainfully. “And I’ve got all that in the poem already.”

This feud has rent the kingdom in twain and can only be healed by an alliance between Capulet and Montague.

“Those aren’t their names.”

“No matter. This, then, is a national affair, with far-reaching issues, therefore an appeal to the Supreme Pontiff is quite in order. What you want,” Father Cassidy nodded solemnly, “is a dispensation from Rome.”

-Emily of New Moon ch.18

Chapter 1 of Magic for Marigold is entitled “What’s on a Name?”, in which the Lesley family tries to name the new baby.

Romeo and Juliet
By William Shakespeare

(excerpt)

‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What’s Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.

Romeo and Juliet can be read online at University of Virginia Library

Source

http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/MobRome.html