Is accessible name required for the table role (does not match HTML requirements)

[Wildebrew]

Describe the change

This is not so much a change as point of clarification.

The definition of the table role lists that accessible name is required, and it has done so since at least ARIA 1.2 (I have not checked back further than that).
In ARIA 1.2 you can see this requirement listed in section 5.2.8 and in the characteristics table for the table definition.

I just find this requirement a bit unexpected:

The HTML <table> element does not require a <caption> so HTMl does not require that a table has a visible label.
Though accessible name is certainly not the same as visible label, the ARIA spec typically follows HTML requirements when the elements map to the same role.

Though most recent versions of mainstream screen readers expose the accessible name of tables, this has not been the case historically.
Users have typically not been able to rely on accessible names for tables.

While accessible name aids with screen reader navigation between tables I do not feel that it is strictly necessary, especially wen a page has only a single table.

I mostly want an additional clarification on this point so a check can be added to Axe Core.
See {Axe Core 2602](dequelabs/axe-core#2603)

[rahimabdi]

Hello @Wildebrew! This issue was also discussed in #1769.

[scottaohara]

there's also this 7 month old PR which is pending review which would resolve this issue, as it changes this from a MUST to a SHOULD

#2297

[pkra]

We still have #2180 open (which #2297 closes); so this issue here seems like a duplicate.