Fewer Companies Change Their Names

The corporate name game slowed in the first half of 1995, with the number of name changes among publicly traded companies dropping 8 percent from the same period last year, a new survey says.

Many of the 79 changes that took place were the result of mergers and acquisitions, or came from companies seeking more “branded identity,” according to the survey released Friday by Interbrand Schechter, a brand consulting firm based in New York.

Financial services companies were the leading category of publicly traded businesses to change names with 15 switches, followed by technology and then health care companies.