Good reggae names follow Jamaica's own traditions: deejays take a title like Lieutenant Riddim or Empress Breeze, harmony groups an elegant name like The Upful Voices, and dub records "meet" each other. This reggae name generator makes artist names, band names and album titles in those styles.
Eight good reggae names
All eight came from the generator:
- Lieutenant Riddim: a military rank and a riddim, the backing track a deejay chats over.
- Empress Breeze: Empress is a respectful title for a woman in Rastafari usage.
- Sister Keisha: a simple, warm title for a singer.
- Desmond "Rocksteady" Ottey: a nickname taken from the style that came between ska and reggae.
- The Upful Voices: "upful" means uplifting in Jamaican speech, a good word for a harmony group.
- Harlesden Rockers: named after a London district with a long reggae history, for a UK band.
- Admiral Damion Meets the Echo Chamber: a dub album title in the classic "meets" style.
- One Drop Morning: the one drop is the reggae drum pattern that hits on the third beat.
How reggae names itself
- Deejays in Jamaica are the vocalists who chat or toast over a riddim, while the selector plays the records. Many took a title: King, Prince, General, Ranking, Major. Prince Buster and U-Roy came out of the sound systems of 1960s Kingston.
- Harmony groups of the rocksteady and roots years, in the late 1960s and 1970s, had elegant names, like the Heptones and the Mighty Diamonds.
- Sound systems were named like businesses with a title: Duke Reid's Trojan and Coxsone Dodd's Downbeat were the great rivals.
- Dub albums often have one producer or group "meeting" another, as in Augustus Pablo's King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (1976).
Much reggae vocabulary comes from Rastafari, a faith as well as a culture. Words like Jah (God) carry religious meaning, so the generator uses them lightly, and it's worth doing the same. Choose Artist for a singer or deejay, Band for a group or sound system, and Album for titles like Sounds from Port Antonio.
Using a reggae name
- A title and one word is the classic deejay name: Major Thunder, Papa Rhythm. Keep it short enough to shout over a riddim.
- For a band, a place works well: Ocho Rios Reggae Band, Portland Sound System.
- Search it first. Reggae has a long history and plenty of titles are taken, so check streaming services before you release.
For a name on the decks, try the DJ Name Generator; for a vocalist who leans towards hip hop, the Rapper Name Generator. The Album Name Generator covers records in any style.
For more genres, see all the music genre name generators.