How to Name Your Band
A good band name is easy to say, fits the music you actually play, and isn't already taken on Spotify. Here's how to find one, with examples from our own generators.
Where famous band names came from
Most famous band names started as jokes, references or happy accidents, and very few were planned:
- The Beatles was a pun on beetles and beat music, partly inspired by Buddy Holly's band the Crickets.
- Led Zeppelin came from a joke that the group would go down like a lead balloon. The spelling was changed so nobody would say "leed".
- Pink Floyd joined the first names of two blues musicians, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.
- Black Sabbath took its name from a 1963 Boris Karloff horror film, which suited the sound perfectly.
- Radiohead named themselves after a Talking Heads song, "Radio Head".
The lesson is that a name doesn't have to mean anything at first. It starts to mean your band once people hear the music. What it does need is to be easy to say, easy to search for and free to use.
Match the name to your genre
Every genre has its own naming habits, and fans read them instantly. A name that sounds wrong for the music makes people skip you before they've pressed play.
- Black metal reaches for winter, old tongues and invented places: Wolves of Svartdal, Grimbarrow.
- Punk is short, suburban and a bit rude: Second-Hand Panic, Plastic Commuters.
- Indie likes ordinary objects and gentle oddness: The Carpet Tiles, Bus Shelters.
- Folk names sound like a place or a family: The Saltfleet Union, Lantern Moth.
- Lo-fi artists often write in lower case, sometimes with a full stop: lull., sleepy penguin.
We have a generator for each of 35 genres, from metal and punk to folk and lo-fi. See all the music genre name generators, or try the general Band Name Generator for a mix.
What makes a band name work
- Say it out loud, as a gig announcement: "Please welcome... The Strange Postcards!" If it's awkward to say, the sound engineer will get it wrong too.
- Make it searchable. A single common word is almost impossible to find online. Two words, or one invented word, are much easier.
- Picture it on a poster and a T-shirt. Long names shrink to nothing; short ones shout.
- Think about the next five years. A joke name is fun at the first gig and less fun on the third album.
- Avoid names that only work with an explanation. If you need to tell the story every time, people won't remember it.
The 'The' question
Plenty of great bands have "The" at the front, and plenty don't. A useful rule: plural nouns usually want it (The Carpet Tiles, The Saltfleet Union), and phrases and invented words usually don't (Second-Hand Panic, Grimbarrow).
Whatever you choose, be consistent. Spotify, Bandcamp and gig listings will copy whatever you give them, and a band that is "The" on one site and not on another is harder to find. Decide once, and use exactly the same name everywhere.
Names to avoid
- Names that are already famous, even in another genre. A metal band can't really be called the same thing as a pop act; fans and streaming services won't tell you apart.
- Real people's names, unless they're your own. Naming a band after someone living invites trouble, and it dates quickly.
- Single everyday words. A one-word name like Fallout or The Horizons will be buried under every other use of the word, and is likely to be taken already. Two words, or one unusual one, are far easier to find.
- Symbols and odd spellings that people can't type after hearing the name once. A stylised spelling can work if it's easy to guess; a dollar sign in place of an S usually isn't.
- Anything you'd be embarrassed to say to your gran, or to a radio presenter. Shock names get attention once and then get in the way.
Choosing as a band
Naming a band is a group decision, and that's where most arguments start. A simple process helps:
- Everyone brings five names. Generate them, borrow lines from your lyrics, or name the street you rehearse on.
- Cut the list together. Anyone can veto a name, but they have to say why.
- Keep three and live with them for a week. Say them out loud, put them on a mocked-up poster, try them in a sentence: "We're playing with ... on Friday."
- Check all three are free, then vote. The name that's still exciting after a week is usually the right one.
If you're stuck between two, pick the one that's easier to search for. You'll thank yourselves when you release your first single.
Album titles, song titles and solo names
Once the band has a name, everything else needs one too.
- Album titles often borrow a line from a song, or name the place the record was made: Weather at Saltmarsh, A Hundred Rooms. Try the Album Name Generator or the album format on any genre page.
- Song titles work best when they make the listener ask a question: Kitchen Floor Echo, Corner Shop Gravity. The Song Title Generator is a good place to start, or to get unstuck.
- Solo artists can use their own name, a first-name alias like Ruby Rook, or a project name that works like a band name. See the Stage Name Generator and the Artist Name Generator.
Check it's free before you release
This is the step most bands skip, and the one that causes the most trouble later.
- Search Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp for the exact name. If another artist uses it, streaming services may put your releases on their profile, or theirs on yours.
- Check the social handles you want on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and look for a matching domain name.
- Do a trade mark search if you're serious. In the UK that's the Intellectual Property Office's search; a registered mark in music can stop you using the name, however long you've played under it.
- Google it with the word "band". It's the quickest way to find a local act with the same idea.
When you're ready to put music out, I've written a free guide to releasing your own music: getting it onto Spotify and into playlists, and reading the numbers once it's out. For more name ideas, see all the music name generators.