I believe the poster who said the licensee's name has to be displayed over the door is right. I don't think the pub name has to be displayed anywhere. After all, the name can be changed, seemingly on a whim of the owner, without any legal requirement to consult other interested parties such as the local community, who may want to preserve the old name because it has local historical significance.

Most pubs do of course display the name prominently, but this isn't a legal requirement - it just makes sense to advertise. But I know of a few pubs (mainly in fairly remote northern areas) which don't have either the traditional swinging pub sign, or the name on the wall in large letters. Presumably the locals all know where the pub is, and the licensee has never found it necessary to advertise it - in some cases they may even want to deter outsiders (although I know of very few pubs that can afford the luxury of being choosy, these days).

As to the changing of pub names, many people are concerned that historic names are being replaced with 'trendy' alternatives, in an attempt to attract yuppies or youngsters. These names will just change again when the current fad wanes in popularity and the next fly-by-night fashion takes over. Sad, really. :-(