Looking for Inspiration
Draw on real-life experiences to come up with ideas. Think back to the names of pets, events, or imaginary friends you had as a kid. If you have a defining moment in your life that led you to be interested in music, consider referencing it. Personal experiences are good inspiration for a band name because they can mean something deeper instead of just sounding cool. Nicknames you had as a child can serve as excellent stage names for a group or lead singer. Examples of band names that came from personal experiences are Mudhoney, which named themselves after an obscure movie they loved, and Sum 41, which played their first major show together on the 41st day of summer.
Reference the place where you live to add a local flare. One way to name your band is to reference a local landmark, intersection, or city. Where your band comes from is going to influence the type of music that you play, so consider paying homage to your hometown by using it as the foundation for your band’s name. You can keep it simple if you want your name to be iconic. Boston, Chicago, America, and Kansas are all famous bands named after specific places. Other examples include the E Street Band, which refers to the street where the band met, and State & Madison, which is named after the main intersection in downtown Chicago.
Consider unique things that you and your bandmates say often. If you or one of your bandmates has a catchphrase or uses a unique slang term, consider incorporating it into the name. It will give your band’s name a personal touch, and will make it easy for your close friends to remember what you’re called when you’re starting out. A Day to Remember and Clean Bandit are named after unique phrases that the members of the band heard.
Use a random name generator as inspiration. There are plenty of random name generators on the internet that you can use as inspiration for your band’s name. Https://www.name-generator.org.uk/band-name/ and https://www.bandnamemaker.com/ are good resources for coming up with random names. If you find a name or word that you think might work, play around with it to see if you can make it into a permanent name for you band. If you’re in a heavy metal band, try using a Dungeons and Dragons name generator to come up with some rustic, mystical-sounding names. You can find one at https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/dungeons-and-dragons.php. If you’re naming a hip hop band, look at the Wu-Tang name generator at https://wutangclan.net/name-generator/. Popular rapper Donald Glover came up with Childish Gambino by punching his name in the generator.
Collaborate with other members of your band to workshop potential names. Being in a band is all about teamwork, and you’ll want input from your collaborators before trying to stick a name on your band. If one of your bandmates wants to change a part of the name that you came up with, keep an open mind.Warning: If you try to force your bandmates to play under a name that they don’t identify with, they’re less likely to feel like they’re an important part of the band.
Copying Popular Types of Band Names
Use an adjective followed by a noun for a standard-sounding name. Just because it’s a common format doesn’t mean that it’s going to make for an unoriginal name. To come up with some inspiration, make a list of descriptive words. Then, fold the paper in half vertically. Write a random list of nouns that sound cool to you on the empty side. Unfold your paper and mix them together to see what you can come up with.Tip: An easy variation on this is to use “The” as your adjective. Examples include The Beatles, The Who, and The Doors. Examples of this formula include Dead Kennedys, Green Day, Steely Dan, and Def Leppard.
Switch a noun and verb around to make a name that emphasizes action. The ear is used to hearing verbs after the noun that is performing an action. Mix this order up to come up with a unique sounding name that places an action first. For example, “Elephant Cage” sounds like a standard band name, but “Cage the Elephant” is much more memorable and evocative. Foster the People, Run the Jewels, Walk the Moon, and Jukebox the Ghost are examples of bands that use this formula.
Incorporate a number in your name to stand out a little bit. Band names typically only use 1-4 words. Defy this expectation by incorporating numbers. Think about addresses that you’ve lived at, or dates that mean a lot to you. Using the day that you formed your band is a good idea as well. Blink 182, Sum 41, Twenty One Pilots, and The Jackson 5 are examples of bands that use this formula. Use punctuation instead of a number if you’d like. Panic! at the Disco is a popular example.
Use the “lead singer and the band” formula to emphasize the head of the band. If you’re the lead singer and have been tasked with naming the band, feel free to give the band and singer different names. This will place a little emphasis on the lead singer specifically, and can make for an interesting name with a classic sound. Kool and the Gang, Hootie and the Blowfish, Fitz and the Tantrum, and Florence and the Machine are bands that use this format.
Try naming your band after an animal. Animals are evocative because we associate certain emotions, feelings, or ideas with them. When we think of a wolverine, we picture a small, ferocious animal that’s ready to fight. In contrast, when you hear the word “rabbit,” you probably picture a soft little creature running around a garden. Think about the type of music that your band plays and try to match your style with an animal. The Gorillaz, The Eagles, Fleet Foxes, and A Flock of Seagulls all incorporate animals in their names.
Fine-Tuning Your Band Name
Make it clear that it’s a group by using plural and collective nouns. Pink Floyd is a great name, but if you hadn’t already heard of them you may think that “Pink” is someone’s first name. Avoid this mistake by putting an “s” at the end of the main noun in your name. You can also avoid this problem by using a collective noun.Tip: Put “The” before a collective noun to make your band stick out as a specific group. The Cranberries, The Wu-Tang Clan, and The Beta Band are all groups that benefit for a definite article at the beginning of their name. Good collective nouns include “jury,” “galaxy,” “batch,” and “army.” Any collective noun that communicates a strong energy can work well.
Say potential names out loud to see if they sound good. Focus on the acoustic quality of the words in your name to see if it’s hard to say or sounds ridiculous. Words like “wisp,” “whiskey,” “hertz,” or “wax” are hard to say quickly without using a lisp. Words like “usurp,” “eloquence,” or “ratchet” are going to be hard to identify without reading. Make sure that your band’s name sounds good and is easy to identify by saying it out loud repeatedly. If the words don’t blend together, you’re on the right path. Try to choose a name that communicates the type of music that you play. If your band is named “Black Death” but you play folk music, you’re going to confuse people. Similarly, if your band plays aggressive music but you’re named “The Flowers,” you may just end up perplexing potential listeners.
Avoid puns and explicit language if you want to be taken seriously. While there are a few exceptions, goofy puns and curse words tend to make for bad band names. If you’re serious about your music, avoid using a silly play on words or you’ll run the risk of being mocked. If you want to eventually play festivals or get radio play, you’re likely to be turned down if your name contains explicit language. If you’re absolutely sure that you want to incorporate a goofy pun, consider misspelling a word to make it a little more subtle. Led Zeppelin is perhaps the best example of this.
Testing Your Name
Search online to see if any other bands have a similar name. One of the biggest mistakes that you can make is choosing a band name that is already taken. If another band has your name, it will be hard for your band to be found by promoters or potential listeners. It may also be illegal if the band’s name is copyrighted. Do a simple search online to see if any bands have similar or identical names.Tip: Consider referencing another band in your name if you want to poke fun or reference them. Elvish Presley, REO Speedealer, and The Kooks are all named after other bands or songs.
Ask close friends how it sounds to test it out. Try to gauge their initial reaction to see if it provokes the response that you want. If their eyebrows raise in surprise and you were trying to come up with a name that stood out, you may be on to something. If you were trying to come up with a simple name that doesn’t provoke the listener, watch out if your friend or family member has a strong reaction. If your friend or family member has to ask what kind of music your band plays, it may be a sign that your name doesn’t communicate your band’s style or sound. If people laugh when you tell them your band’s name, consider scrapping it for a new name.
Try drawing and writing a name to see how it looks. Your band’s name will eventually go on merchandise, T-shirts, and album covers. Write it out and try drawing it in different ways to see if it’s easily customizable and looks good. See if you can turn it into a logo! Lots of iconic bands have turned their names into logos or icons. Examples include Van Halen, Daft Punk, and Slayer.
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