An example is Thais emarginata, the rock whelk. B.C. Athenian hetaera who was reputed to be mistress to Alexander the Great. Why a marine snail would be named after a beautiful woman is beyond me. Finally, I must admit that it is almost impossible for me, with my limited understanding of classical languages, to make sense of some names. It doesn't ease the confusion any to know that in Greek mythology Doris is the wife of the sea god Nereus and the mother of the Nereids.
Some names seem to be purely whimsical.
Sometimes, believe it or not, the scientific name translates almost literally into the common one. But despite these apparent whimsicalities and eccentricities, scientific names can be very informative and helpful. Recently,for instance, I found out why the common guillemot of the North Sea looked so familiar to me. It's official name, Uria aalge, also refers to our common murre. Gavia immer, of Britain, to see that it's the same bird as our common loon, but it helped to reinforce my opinion.