What's in a name? Companies seem to be renaming themselves with wild abandon, yet woe to those that choose poorly.(Company Business and Marketing)

It really all began in 1995, when AT&T spun off its equipment arm and renamed it Lucent Technologies. At the time, changing a company's name seemed like such a momentous thing to do, particularly when the name was a household brand like AT&T.

Since then, though, new corporate names have become nearly as common as new advertising campaigns. Hewlett-Packard spun off its communications, electronics, life sciences and healthcare divisions and named the new company Agilent Technologies. Bellcore changed its name to Telcordia Technologies. Bell Atlantic rebranded its wireless operations Verizon. Stationery, signage, business cards all change - seemingly overnight - and bam! there's your new …