This would be what I'm thinking of:

/**
 * A list of names the rule previously had to allow loading older config files.
 */
String[] formerlyKnownAs() default {};

It would allow renaming rules without breaking the loading of old config files.

At first I thought, that sounds like a good idea, but later, I figured, that this might be too much complexity for some lazy people now wanting to change their config files once in a blue moon