Names in the gospels match the known name distribution of 1st-century Palestine (research by Tal Ilan, Richard Bauckham). The most common names (Simon, Joseph, Mary) are disambiguated with extra identifiers (Simon Peter, Simon of Cyrene, Simon the Zealot) while less common names (Thomas, Thaddeus) stand alone — exactly as you'd expect from authentic records. Names are the first thing lost in retelling; getting them right indicates early, close-to-source transmission.
Onomastic (name) evidence — statistical match
Tal Ilan (German scholar) built a lexicon of ancient Jewish names. Richard Bauckham analyzed statistics. Gospel name proportions match external Palestinian data. Common names need disambiguation (like "John Smith" needs more info); uncommon names don't. Later non-canonical gospels (Gospel of Thomas etc.) have far fewer names — names dropped out as distance from events increased. Getting names right = early, reliable source.
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