Private equity firm Isis seeks a new name

Pity those businesses or organizations currently calling themselves Isis. First associated with an ancient Egyptian goddess, the name is now more commonly linked to the radical Islamic terror group in Syria and Iraq infamous for its brutal atrocities.

Not long after ISIS first started burning itself into the consciousness of people everywhere, businesses that had Isis in their names started feeling the heat and either voluntarily or under pressure began considering alternatives.

Add another one to that list, and this time it's an established U.K. private equity firm that manages billions in dollars in investments.

"Given ongoing events in Syria and Iraq, it will come as no surprise to you to learn that we have decided to change our name," says a statement on the website of Isis Equity Partners, which invests in U.K. businesses and manages about $2.13 billion (£1.3 billion) in funds. "We are no longer prepared to share it with a terrorist organisation."

The company says it hopes to unveil its new brand in the next several weeks. But other than the name change, it plans to keep doing its business as usual, which it has been involved in since 1995.

"Even though the name above the door will change, we remain focused and committed to invest in and support high growth UK companies run by entrepreneurial management teams," it added.

Also in the U.K., but at the other end of the spectrum is a women's clothing shop in the town of Malvern. It has been called the ISIS Boutique for years, but recently has come under criticism from the public.

"There was a particularly nasty comment on our Facebook page from someone who said we would get a letter bomb in the shop if we didn't change our name," owner Jill Campbell recently told The Daily Mail newspaper.

But Campbell says despite the criticism and hate mail, she's sticking with the brand she's built over the years, amazed that people would associate the boutique even remotely with the terror group.

"People are telling me I should change the name of the business, but why should I?" she asks. "We've been here for seven years, we were called ISIS before all of this, and the name represents our business."