Name mangling is a technique used in programming languages to modify the names of entities like variables, functions, or classes in order to avoid naming conflicts. This process typically involves adding a prefix or suffix to the original name, or replacing certain characters with other characters. Name mangling is especially common in languages like C++ where classes and member functions may have similar names. The purpose of name mangling is to make the code more readable, maintainable, and to improve overall program efficiency. However, it can also make debugging and troubleshooting more difficult for developers.