Q: Can I edit title of PDF in iBooks?

You can't rename pdfs in iBooks. Goodreader for iPad (which is free) allows you to do so, and then the pdf can be 'Opened in iBooks'.

Yes, you're right, they can be renamed.

How to Change PDF Titles in iBooks Right on Your iPhone or iPad Itself! 

This was driving me crazy, especially as all over the net there are bold statements it CANNOT be done along with convoluted, multi-step, hard-to-follow directions for doing this.  They involve transferring to Calibre, or transferring via iTunes then converting, rummaging within container files, editing meta data, etc.

Well, gang , it's easy to change *PDF* titles on your iOS device, iPad, or iPhone, right from within iBooks itself!!

All you need to do is to select the specific book and tap its title!    You do that by putting the books into a list view, so that you can see the titles.  Then tap a Edit in the upper right corner, select the book (tap the empty circle to its left), then tap the title!  That brings up the keyboard.  From there, backspace to delete letters or double-tap the title to select it all at once to replace it all at once.

I can't believe how simple it is.  Of course, bad Apple, it doesn't work the same way as in other Apple apps, but hey, it's doable.  It also doesn't seem to work with ePub books.

For the visually oriented, or for those who find I've made it too simple or left something out, take a gander at this video:

            http://www.documentsnap.com/rename-pdf-ibooks/

Note:   If you're having trouble making any selection, that's due to Apple's iBooks getting into a weird state every now and then where the empty circles cannot be selected-- for moving, deleting, anything.  If that happens, force-quit the app, relaunch, and go to town renaming your PDFs.  A couple of times I've also found that rather then being up the keyboard, it turns off the selection.

Happily, files/PDF books that used to be named such things as

           pleasuresofteles00servrich

and

           popguidetoheaven00ballrich

can be renamed to their proper titles

          Pleasures of the Telescope

and

          Popular Guide to the Heavens

Hope this helps someone else!

I've done this, but it seems to cause difficulty when I synch. Basically the synch doesn't complete. The only way to complete it is to stop synching books and then resynch them. Then all the retitled pdfs revert to their original titles. Is there a way around this?

Don, I haven't had any trouble synching--at least, it syncs without any glitches.  My revised titles remain on the iPad.  Now, admittedly, I haven't checked to see what happens with the corresponding PDFs on the Mac.  I'll have to double-check at some point.

It's actually not necessary to select the PDF by tapping the circle to the left of the title. Just tap Select, then tap the PDF's title to edit it.