I think the name was meaningful in this case, and that this is true in most cases.
I'm not especially interested in a random person's thoughts on Go. I may be interested in their thoughts on Go if their post happens to make it to the top of YC: this probably indicates that they have something interesting to say. And I'm also interested in their thoughts on Go if they're someone who is a recognised as an authority in the field, as is the case with Bram Cohen. Or: I might be interested if they have a history of writing good posts.
So names in titles do usually convey useful information for me. (Even if I don't recognise it, the fact that the submitter used a name is informative.)
I'm not especially interested in a random person's thoughts on Go. I may be interested in their thoughts on Go if their post happens to make it to the top of YC: this probably indicates that they have something interesting to say. And I'm also interested in their thoughts on Go if they're someone who is a recognised as an authority in the field, as is the case with Bram Cohen. Or: I might be interested if they have a history of writing good posts.
So names in titles do usually convey useful information for me. (Even if I don't recognise it, the fact that the submitter used a name is informative.)