this has been said before but i’ll say it again. -> ned stark naming jon after jon arryn -his surrogate father figure- for him to then act as jon’s surrogate father is so important, like that ned named jon for the man who committed high treason and refused the mad king’s order to execute his wards establishes a lot about their relationship and the love between them. it’s also a testament to ned’s characterisation and his moral framework jon arryn played a massive part in developing. — when he named jon, it was his own way of responding to lyanna’s “promise me” when ned vowed that he’d do the same to protect his nephew as his surrogate father did for him.
I always have so many thought and feelings around Ned naming him Jon... and it has always been kind of baffling to me that fans (and GOT showrunners) were so focused on the idea of Jon having some secret Targaryen name.
Meanwhile the incredible importance and meaning behind Ned naming him Jon just gets glossed over.
Ned naming the nephew (that he will tarnish his honour for and claim/raise as his bastard to protect him from a king or anyone else who would murder his sister's son- even as a baby) after Jon Arryn ....the man who fostered Ned, loved him like a son, and who went to war and rebelled against a King when he called for the heads of Jon's wards Ned and Robert.
Like this name choice is so heavy with secret meaning, it's so beautiful and so full of love despite the tragic circumstances surrounding Jon's birth (Ned's love of his sister absolutely...but also his commitment to and affection for his nephew/foster son).
With Ned already gone when Jon finds out the truth of his parentage his real name (Jon!!!!!) and the sentiment behind it can be something that reassures/comforts him during what will undoubtedly be a major identity crisis and heavy emotional blow. He may not be Ned Stark's biological child but Jon will always be able to look at his own name and know that Ned Stark, for all his secrets and his mistakes and despite Jon's own parentage/bio father, still chose to love and protect Jon like son.
