Mustapha Mond: Mustapha, or the variant spelling Mustafa, is an Arabic name meaning 'the chosen one.' This is a fitting name for this character because he has been chosen to be a World Controller. Mond in Dutch means mouth, making this a fitting surname, too. Mustaph Mond is, after all, characterised in large part by his "deep, resonant voice," and he is a talker who spends much of his time lecturing and preaching.

Lenina Crowne: Crowne implies a monarch's crown, which is appropriate for this character because she is, like a monarch and by virtue of her caste, at the top of the hierarchy. Her first name, however, is somewhat ironic. Lenina means 'like a lion.' Lions are known as proud, strong, and courageous animals. Lenina shares none of these attributes. She is instead vapid and conforming.

Helmholtz Watson: This character takes his name from two people from the real world, both of whom were well-known when Huxley was writing Brave New World. Hermann Helmholtz (1821–1894) was a prominent German physicist who was best known for his work on, and theories about, vision. John B. Watson (1878–1958) was an American psychologist who founded the school of thought known as behaviorism. The character Helmholtz Watson sees differently from most people in Brave New World, linking him to his first namesake. He enjoys art and he tries to escape his conditioning to see the world in a more emotional way. As a lecturer at the College of Emotional Engineering, Helmholtz Watson is also, like the second of his namesakes, concerned about the psychology of his fellow man.

More than most novels, Huxley uses historically significant names to give the flavor of the personality of the characters in Brave New World. Let's take a look at some of the main characters and see why they were probably given the names that they were. Remember that none of this is for sure, since we cannot ask Mr. Huxley, however the following explanations seem plausible.

Lenina Crowne may be a form of the communist leader Lenin, and we all know that communism promotes conformity of the people. John Crowne was a dramtist who specialized in romantic love. Lenina starts as a conformist and ends up falling in love with John.

John may be taken from the biblical John the Baptist, who was a prophet who fortold the coming of a new age (much as John revealed the flaws in the Brave New World). Savage was a last name given him because  he lived among the savages.

Bernard Marx's name may come from George Bernard Shaw who believed in socialism and women's rights ( Bernard disliked women being treated like meat).  His last name may come from Karl Marx (the founder of communism) who believed the lower classes would someday overthrow the oppresive ruling class.

Mustafa Mond may come from many leaders from the East who were named Mustafa, and Mond (which translates "world" from the French). The fictional Mustafa's last name, Mond, means "world" in French.

Helmholtz Watson may be a combination of a famous physcist and scientist who conducted experiments similar to the baby roses and books one in Brave New World.

See the link provided for a more comprehensive list.