There really is only one name in XAML, the x:Name. A framework, such as WPF, can optionally map one of its properties to XAML's x:Name by using the RuntimeNamePropertyAttribute on the class that designates one of the classes properties as mapping to the x:Name attribute of XAML.
The reason this was done was to allow for frameworks that already have a concept of "Name" at runtime, such as WPF. In WPF, for example, FrameworkElement introduces a Name property.
In general, a class does not need to store the name for x:Name to be useable. All x:Name means to XAML is generate a field to store the value in the code behind class. What the runtime does with that mapping is framework dependent.
So, why are there two ways to do the same thing? The simple answer is because there are two concepts mapped onto one property. WPF wants the name of an element preserved at runtime (which is usable through Bind, among other things) and XAML needs to know what elements you want to be accessible by fields in the code behind class. WPF ties these two together by marking the Name property as an alias of x:Name.
In the future, XAML will have more uses for x:Name, such as allowing you to set properties by referring to other objects by name, but in 3.5 and prior, it is only used to create fields.
Whether you should use one or the other is really a style question, not a technical one. I will leave that to others for a recommendation.
See also AutomationProperties.Name VS x:Name, AutomationProperties.Name is used by accessibility tools and some testing tools.
1) Have you found/already tried this?
http://silverlight.net/samples/sl2/dlrconsole/index.html
Note, this is an older build, so you might wish to follow my 2nd suggestion if you want something a bit fresher:
2) If you have built IronRuby recently from the latest source from GitHub
You should find a Tutorial (which runs in WPF or Silverlight) .
You'd find it here in the source tree
Edit: Also, I know Jimmy has posted recently about some additional work going into this tutorial, so I believe this is being actively worked on.
Edit 2:
3) Perhaps will or will not suffice for your needs, but there is also Gestalt for running IronRuby/IronPython in the browser. This is a recent interesting development from mix online labs.
Best Answer
Shay is right, but only for Silverlight and I've not used Silverlight and IronRuby. You can bind and use commands with pure IronRuby and WPF. I'm assuming this also applies to IronPython as they both use ICustomTypeDescriptor. there is a caveat, you'll need a DLR build more recent than IronRuby 0.9 for events.
To create an IronRuby command, you need to implement events. See this SO question for more Implementing and Interface in IronRuby that includes CLR Events
As for creating an IronRuby object that can participate in binding, the deal is a an attr reader/writer needs to be used for the DLR to see it as a property.
I've got a few Gists about it. A Command Example, A simple ViewModel Example with Binding And the XML Builder based xaml library used in the examples. These worked for me.
There are limitations. XamlLoader can't see IronRuby classes from the CLR. This means your views are REALLY dumb (zero code-behind), or they come from a C# dll. It also means that you can't create custom or user controls that have any code behind without going to C#.
While I don't have a fully baked MVVM app in IronRuby/WPF, I think all the pieces are in place and I'm getting there.