What's in a museum name? A study of name changes among Danish museums

In recent years, Danish museums have experienced ideological, political and structural changes. Simultaneously, a wave of name changes has swept over the eld. From a branding perspective, the change and choice of new name can be understood as an attempt to stand out from the group of museums. Conversely, from an institutional perspective, the name change can be perceived as a way to claim membership of the transformed museum landscape. is paper presents a study of ten public museums that have all recently changed their names. Findings suggest that name change is employed as a means to claim category, territory but also distinctiveness. Further, the study reveals di erent practices regarding the use of the term “museum”, with practical implications for a museum name change as a way to communicate a balance between tting in and standing out.