Give me a break. It eludes me how such an intelligent man as yourself could have made such ridiculous arguments:
"TOXIC NAME"
If it was a "totally toxic name" for the last 12 months why you're in it?
Tell me, please, how this totally toxic name has stopped Darkcoin's growth?
Darkcoin hasn't grown much in adoption. It's grown in valuation and development.
The only significant exchange it's on right now is Bitfinex. Although the name may not be "toxic" amongst early adopters (thats ourselves) it's a different story amongst the broader market.
BTCe, Chinese exchanges, US exchanges - none of them show the remotest hint of taking it. Of course that might be for reasons other than the name, but according to the accounts of 'coin staff' who've been 'out there' trying to get it promoted and adopted, the name categorically is a barrier to adoption.
If you think otherwise you need to come up with a better justification than simply "it's worked up till now". The only growth so far has come from the developer community and early adopters. New growth needs to come from new sources.
As I say - I'm not unhappy with the Darkcoin name but I'm not overly attached to it either. All I'm saying is: there's a problem with the next phase of growth. The name is a documented issue. So do something about it.