Rabbi Meir, the great Tanna attributed tp many Mishnaic rulings, seems to be a person of several names. ‘Meir’ translates from Hebrew as ‘one who shines light’ on others. Some call him Nehorai as well. It is the Aramaic equivalent of Meir. There are those who say that his real name is Nechemiah while others insist that his name is Rabbi Elazar ben Arach. There is another nickname- Acherim (Others)- which comes about in an unpleasant way. This narrative is related on Horayos 13b.
Regarding of the significance of names- once Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yosi and Rabbi Meir are traveling together on the road. Meir is known by his colleagues to evaluate the names of people in that they usually foretell their personality.
The three approach an inn to stay over on Shabbos. They contemplate handing over their valuables to the innkeeper to protect them. This is a common practice. The innkeeper, however, seems too anxious to take the money. Meir asks him his name and he responds that it is Kidor. Meir immediately thinks to himself that this person is a rasha (evil one). His name reminds him of the verse in the Song of Haazinu that reads: Ki Dor Tahpuchos Heyma (Because it is a generation turned upside down [implying evil]).
Rabbis Yehuda and Yosi hand over their wallets but Meir does not. Instead, He goes to the back of the property where it is common for people to bury their relatives and hides his money purse in the dirt around the grave of the innkeeper’s father.
The next morning, the innkeeper tells Meir that he has a strange dream in which his father tells him that there is money hidden by his grave and to go and take it. He asks Meir if he should believe such type of night visions and bother to search. Meir tells him that what one dreams on Friday night is meaningless. A person is very relaxed, free from daily business concerns and conjures up thoughts of things he likes to believe will happen for his good. Nevertheless, Meir spends the rest of the Shabbos day keeping an eye in the area around the backyard to make sure the innkeeper does not go digging.
After Shabbos, the other two Rabbis go to Kidor and ask for their money purses. Kidor responds, “I don’t know what you are talking about!” and tells them to leave him alone. They tell this to Meir and he asks them why they even bothered to give him their money to protect when he has such an obviously evil name. They say back to him that if he knows that he is evil, why didn’t he say something to them right away. Meir answers back that he cannot accuse someone of sinning to other people, but for himself he can be careful.
In the meantime, they notice that Kidor, the innkeeper, goes to do his work and has not brushed off the lentils from his mustache he has eaten for breakfast. He apparently is not accustomed to the practice of mayim achronim (washing hands with water) after eating and prior to saying the grace after meals.
This gives the three Rabbis an idea to go find the wife of the innkeeper and tell her that her husband has told them that it is okay for her to hand over the money to them now. As proof, they tell her that he told them that they ate lentils for breakfast.
This new scheme works and she hands back the money to the other Rabbis. Later, she tells her husband that she returned the money just as he has ordered. The Gemara says that he kills her in a fit of anger although some consider it hyperbole and that he just punishes her otherwise.
There is a statement made in a Baraisa mentioned in Tractate Chulin that an innkeeper, upon observing the practices of his customers, serves traife (non-kosher) meat to someone who does not wash his hands before eating and kosher to one who does. He figures that the one who washes must be Jewish. And on account of not washing hands after eating, one can end up possibly killing!
The other two Rabbis learn their lesson and in the future are careful about dealing with people who have names that represent evil tidings. The Gemara mentions that they refuse to enter a house of a man named Balah as it means someone who engages in sinful ways. [Yoma 83b]