Any 2 or more societies, corporations or associations of the same or a similar nature, organized under any special or general law of this State, or of any State of these United States pertaining to corporations not for pecuniary profit for the purpose of conducting any kind of business or enterprise for any lawful purpose other than for pecuniary profit including religious corporations, may merge or consolidate into a single corporation. The corporation formed by the merger or consolidation may take either the name of one of such merging or consolidating corporations; provided, said name is not the same as or similar to that of a corporation then existing under the laws of this State or of a foreign corporation licensed to do business in this State, or a new name not the same as or similar to that of a corporation then existing under the laws of this State or of a foreign corporation licensed to do business in this State.
     A foreign corporation may not use or take an assumed or fictitious name in the conduct of its business that intentionally misrepresents the geographic origin or location of the corporation within Illinois.