You can try rationalizing, but the name immediately raises very unfavorable emotions and associations. The very first thing I thought about when I saw the head

You can try rationalizing, but the name immediately raises very unfavorable emotions and associations. The very first thing I thought about when I saw the headline was Hans Reiser's crime. The first thing I then expected in the comments was a lengthy discussion about that. I am fairly certain that this is fully in line with how most people react. I don't see how your proposed hypothetical following a name change would take hold. I don't think a name change would be perceived as "concealing", just understandably moving away from a name that has become unfortunate. I think people are more surprised that they haven't.