How to rename the Title column in the list definition?

Often, you want to rename the Title column in your list definition. Don’t do it, because many internal SharePoint functions requires it. Instead, just change the display name of the column.

You need to do this in the list definition’s schema.xml, not in the content type definition file. In fact, don’t mention the Title column in the content type. If you do, the Title column will appear twice in your list.

Here is what you should modify in your schema.xml:

<Fields>
<Field ID="{82642EC8-EF9B-478F-ACF9-31F7D45FBC31}"
Type="Computed"
Name="LinkTitle"
DisplayName="My Own Title" />
<Field ID="{BC91A437-52E7-49E1-8C4E-4698904B2B6D}"
Type="Computed"
Name="LinkTitleNoMenu"
DisplayName="My Own Title" />
<Field ID="{FA564E0F-0C70-4AB9-B863-0177E6DDD247}"
Type="Text"
Name="Title"
DisplayName="My Own Title"
Required="TRUE" />
<!-- Other fields declaration -->
</Fields>

Keep in mind that you will need those three columns declaration, one for the plain Title data, the others for the Title with link and menu which are displayed in the standard form. You can put your own text inside the DisplayName attribute.