Yeah.    I used the names in the gradle.properties file.  And built a release apk with my keys and it worked.

Notes:   If you build the stock system, then modify the name, and build again you will get duplicate

resource errors.  So, always start out fresh, modify the name, then build.

If you've tested the stock version in the emulator, then be sure to stop the emulator and restart it, or, delete the app from the emulator otherwise 'react-native run-android --variant=release' will fail.