7:22PM EST December 4. 2012 - The New Orleans Hornets will change the name of the team to the Pelicans, as early as next season, according to a report by Yahoo! Sports.
When Tom Benson bought the team in April, he said at that time he wanted to change the team's nickname.
The Brown Pelican is the state bird of Louisiana and Pelicans was the former name of the city's minor league baseball team from 1887-1959 and 1977. Benson owned the rights to the name Pelicans.
Source : http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/12/04/new-orleans-hornets-changing-name-to-pelicans/1747057/