So, if I provided a little bit more context for sentence 4, would the meaning of the verb "name" change? For example:
4) A person, who was named Ben in 1997, lived in that house.
Would it mean that the person was given the name Ben in 1997 and not that people used to call him Ben in 1997? He was officially named 'Ben' in 1997. Since Ben's already a short form of Benjamin, that's probably what people also called him, but we can't know for certain.
I am trying to find out when does the phrase "was named" mean using a name for a person and when does it mean that a person was given a name, for example, during christening ceremony.
I"m not exactly sure what you're getting at, but I think you may be looking for something like the difference between 'named' and 'called', as well as the difference between a name and a nickname.
'Named' means the person was given a particular name. The verb 'called' however, allows for the possibility that the name they commonly use may be different from the official name listed on their birth certificate. However, it doesn't automatically mean that their common name is different from their birth name.
His parents named him James, but everyone calls him Jimmy. ('Jimmy' is a nickname, but his official name is James.)
He's been called 'Buster' ever since his sister once yelled, "You better watch it Buster!" ('Buster' is a nickname - we don't know what his true name is.)
His parents decided to call her Mary Sue, after both her grandmothers. ('Mary Sue' is her official name - she may or may not have a nickname.)
There are other ways to indicate that a person goes by some name other that what's officially listed on their birth certificate
.
His real name's Timothy Johansen, but he's known locally as 'Cotton'. ('Cotton' is a nickname, but his real name is Timothy.)
He goes by Slim Walker, on account of his always having been overweight, ever since he was a teenager.(We're given an explanation for the nickname, but not his true name.)
In short, you can't really know for sure whether a name is a "real" name or a nickname. English, like most other languages, does have several common diminutive forms for some common names, such as 'Chuck' (Charles), 'Betty' (Elizabeth), 'Jim' (James), Bill(William), and so on. Sometimes however, parents may just go ahead and list the short form for the official name. That's what my folks did with me - since they knew everyone would be using the common nickname, that's what they put on the birth certificate.
You just really can't tell for sure whether the name they go by is their official name or a nickname, unless it's something that must obviously be a nickname. For example, it's highly unlikely that his parents really named him 'Fats Smith', so it's a safe bet that what people call him isn't his given name.