Why are hurricanes named after people?

Hurricanes are not named after people. They are given human names because personal names are memorable, and they make it easier for people to understand forecasts and warnings.

The names come from an inventory originated by the National Hurricane Center in Miami in 1953, the year when this naming system for tropical cyclones was formally introduced. The inventory is maintained and updated by the World Meteorological Organization. The system itself originated during World War II when U.S. Air Force and Navy meteorologists, who were looking for a better way of denoting tropical cyclones, began naming them after their wives, girlfriends and mothers.