Thank you very much for bringing up your current problem to the table and I do apologize about the unexpected experience you had within your play-through.
You cannot use the same character name for an alt, in fact there can’t be another char with the same name in a single region.
Furthermore the name of a char deleted will remain usable for window of 60 days, once that period passes anyone can use it, meaning that LA does not count with any name reservation system.
I hope this information granted has been provided you gives a great and helpful insight.
What I meant was, if I name change Apple to Orange, will Apple now be available?
Also, I was not referring to reserving a name, but just knowing when it will be available ahead of time so people can be ready to claim the name they want.