[Butch7999]

As far as we know, and as always we stand ready to be corrected by more expert historians, the Braves
(so called since about 1909) were previously known as the Beaneaters (and before that, the Red Stockings)
and, as both Beaneaters and Braves (and just for hailing from Boston), had often been nicknamed the Bees
all throughout their history.
We're unaware of any "official" name change at any point -- early on, all team names were pretty much
"unofficial" and more commonly bestowed upon them by the sporting media and to some extent their fans
than by the club itself. Trademarking, copyrighting, and branding of team names is a relatively recent
development. You'll find a lot of cards labellng the pre-1971 Senators as the Nationals or Nats, too,
their secondary nickname, although no "official" change of name was involved.