Not sure if this is helpful, but:
1- I lean towards simplicity and keeping everyone, including BPs, on the same footing as far as identity is concerned. Yes, there is more of a risk for fraud, particularly at the launch, but providing the initial BP candidates with a special name at launch would be an unfair advantage over the years.
2- As a possible compromise: once a Block Producer candidate earns enough votes to either become one of the 21 BPs or is voted to operate in a standby mode, then that BP could earn a unique identifier to the name. In other words, if you’re operating as a standby node or as one of the 21, you’ve earned the “.BP” suffix, for example. This could be written as a smart contract.
I hope these thoughts contribute to the discussion, and please let me know if I’m off-track. I’m really trying to learn and contribute to EOS.
RE: The "REAL" EOS - Fighting for Identities