http://code.google.com/p/procname/
Sample usage:
# Lets rename:
>>> procname.setprocname('My super name')
# Lets check. Press Ctrl+Z
user@comp:~/procname$ ps
PID TTY TIME CMD
13016 pts/2 00:00:00 bash
13128 pts/2 00:00:00 My super name <-- it's here
It will only work on systems where prctl
system call is present and supports PR_SET_NAME
command.