Why very different Burke flights keep one class name

Why were the substantially different Arleigh Burke flights not given separate class names?

The panel's explanation is that keeping the Burke name presents each order as a continuation of an accepted programme and reduces the perceived risk of choosing a new design.

Keeping the Arleigh Burke name makes each new flight appear to be another order of a proven design. In the panel's interpretation, that makes the decision easier to defend within the procurement system. If an incremental variant fails, responsibility can be spread across choices made over many years. A visibly new class creates a more identifiable decision to question, which helps explain the preference for retaining a familiar label.