misnomer

noun

1. A mistake in the naming of a person or place; a misidentification.
2. (broadly)An incorrect use of a term, especially one which is misleading; a misname.

   “Rewilding[…]is also a misnomer, for whether by getting rid of tens of thousands of sheep in Patagonia or introducing a living species as a surrogate for an extinct one – Sayaguesa cattle in place of aurochs in Croatia’s Velebit Mountains, for instance – rewilding requires more human intervention than its name suggests.”

   “[…] plaintiff's misstyling himself as corporation in initial complaint constituted case of misnomer.”

3. (broadly)A term which is misleading, even if firmly established, technically correct, or both.

   “The name Chinese checkers is a misnomer since the game has nothing to do with China.”

   “The word blackboard as applied to green or brown chalkboards is a misnomer but is not incorrect, as the broad sense of the word is idiomatic.”

4. (broadly, nonstandard, proscribed)Something which is asserted not to be true; a mistaken belief, a falsehood, a myth.

   “It’s a misnomer that all doctors have bad handwriting.”

verb

1. (transitive)To use an incorrect, and especially misleading, name for (someone or something); to misidentify, to misname.