His sidekick Adso's name is among other things a pun on Simplicio from Galileo Galilei's Dialogue; Adso = ad Simplicio. William of Baskerville on the other alludes both to Sherlock Holmes and William of Ockham
On one level the book is an excellent exposition of the scientific method. William demonstrates the power of deductive reasoning. He refuses to accept the diagnosis of simple demonic possession despite the fact that at that time demonology was the ruling scientific paradigm. He keeps an open mind, collecting facts and observations, following even pure intuition as to what he should investigate. It also demonstrates the crucial importance of chance in any investigative endeavour. Nevertheless, he could not have solved the cases if he had not prepared properly a framework of facts and interconnections, which the chance discovery then made meaningful.