List of band name etymologies

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This is a list of band names with their name origins explained. Some origins are disputed.

Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


[edit] 0-24

  • 10,000 Maniacs — Adapted from the title of 1964 low-budget horror movie Two Thousand Maniacs!. [1]
  • 10cc — from a name the group's producer Jonathan King saw in a dream. A popular urban legend suggests that the name came instead from the sperm an average man ejaculates, which is erroneous (average male ejaculation actually contains about 3cc of semen). Band Member Eric Stewart said in a 1995 interview that the name did in fact come from King's dream. [2]
  • 23 Skidoo — Allegedly from Aleister Crowley poem in The Book Of Lies, or from The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea, but actually an old American expression meaning "Get out of here!"
  • 3 Thrusts In — Named after a bad experience a band members friend had with anti-depressants.
  • 311 — Named after the police code for indecent exposure in Omaha, Nebraska after a skinny-dipping incident. Also a reference of 3 of the 11th letter in the alphabet,k,KKK, a racist group.[3]
  • 5ive — The name was chosen because there were five members in the group.
  • 808 State — Taken from the Roland TR-808 drum machine.[4]

[edit] A

  • a-ha — The name was chosen because the phrase meant the same thing in several languages.
  • ABBA — It's a palindromic acronym from the initials of the first names of the band members: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
  • AC/DC — The name AC/DC was invented by Angus and Malcolm Young's sister Margaret. It comes from the letters AC/DC (Alternating Current/Direct Current) on the back of their mother’s sewing machine.
  • Ace of Base — Their first studio was in a basement. So they were masters(ace) of their basement (base).
  • Aerosmith— This word was written all over Joey Kramer´s notebooks by himself in high school. Another source says that Aerosmith was inspired by a book called "Arrowsmith" by Sinclair Lewis (1925).
  • After the Fire — They got their name from a passage in the Bible.
  • Air Supply — Graham Russell saw the name up on a marquee in a dream.
  • Alexisonfire — Named after the website of contortionist stripper, Alexis Fire.
  • All American Rejects — From a Green Day song "Reject"
  • Alice Cooper — Alice Cooper was originally the name of a band, not a person. Vince Furnier, the man now known as Alice Cooper, was the lead singer of that band. The band has told numerous, conflicting stories about the name's origins (the most famous story is that they got the name from a Ouija board). However, Furnier now says the name came from the band's warped sense of humor. They were loud, crude, raucous and rowdy, which is why it struck them as funny to adopt a name that connoted sweetness and light. "Alice Cooper" sounded like the name of an innocent little schoolgirl or sweet old lady at church, so it seemed like a perversely perfect name for a band that was anything but innocent. Alice Cooper is the name of a witch that was burned at the stake in salem.
  • Alice in Chains — A masochistic parody of Alice in Wonderland.
  • Ambrosia — Chosen because it stood for what the band's vision of their music was.
  • Tori Amos — She changed her real name (Myra Ellen Amos), because a friend suggested that Tori sounded better.
  • Anal Cunt — Seth Putnam was looking for a phrase which would sound at the same time very stupid and very offensive.
  • ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead — Taken from a line in a Mayan ritual chant.
  • The Angry Samoans — a tribute to professional wrestling tag team, Wild Samoans
  • ALO — Animal Liberation Orchestra - they liberate the inner-animal in you through their music.
  • Anthrax — Scott Ian heard the word in biology class, and thought it was a good name for a band.
  • Aphex Twin — The A in Aphex stands for the acid quality of his music, while the ph is a reference to the pH-value of acid. Twin in recognition of Richard D. James' brother who died three years before him and had the same name, who he believes is watching over him like a guardian angel.
  • Arctic Monkeys — The name was made up by a band member doodling and writing random things at school.
  • Army of God — Named after some militant Christians responsible for kidnapping a couple of abortion providors in the 80's, and now suspected in various bombings in Atlanta.
  • Art of Noise — Named after the 1913 manifesto called The Art of Noises by Italian Futurist Luigi Russolo.
  • As I Lay Dying — The title of William Faulkner's stream of consciousness novel As I Lay Dying.
  • Ash — Picked by the members after a very short trip through a dictionary.
  • Asia — They chose the name to add mystery to the band.
  • Atreyu — Named after a character in The Neverending Story.
  • At the Drive-In — Named after a lyric from "Talk Dirty To Me" by Poison
  • Augie March — Named for the Saul Bellow novel, The Adventures of Augie March.
  • The Automatic — From their belief "Music is the antidote to The Automatic lifestyle"
  • Automatic Pilot — From psychiatric testimony characterizing Dan White's state of mind while killing George Moscone and Harvey Milk.
  • Avenged Sevenfold — From the "Curse of Cain" in Genesis in the Bible. As part of his curse, God states that should anyone harm Cain, he will be Avenged Sevenfold.

[edit] B

  • B*witched — The manager of this Irish all-girl teen band thought they were "bewitching" as they talked him into managing them.
  • Babes In Toyland — The name of a 1903 operetta by Victor Herbert popularised by film versions like Laurel and Hardy's 1934 film.
  • Bachman-Turner Overdrive — A combination of band members' last names and the trucker's magazine "Overdrive".
  • Backstreet Boys — Named after a shopping area called "The Back Street Market" near Church Street Station in Orlando, Florida.
  • Bad Company — A 1972 movie by Jeff Bridges.
  • Bad English — They used to play pool and were bad at "putting english" (spin) on the ball.
  • Badfinger — Originally called The Iveys after a street in Swansea, Wales. Once signed to Apple Records by The Beatles, Paul McCartney suggested a name change. The name Badfinger was proposed by Neil Aspinall, who got the idea from "Badfinger Boogie", McCartney's early working title for "With a Little Help from My Friends".
  • Bangles — They were originally called the Bangs. However, that name was already in use by another band, so the band added -les, in tribute to the Beatles. A second story is that the band had been informed that they needed to change their name en route to a show in Las Vegas; one of the band members scrawled "Bang-less" on a napkin and the "Bangles" were born.
  • Barenaked Ladies — The band members picked the name because it was sexual, yet innocent. Another story is that Ed Robertson and Steve Page were bored while at a concert, and started thinking up the worst possible names for bands. Barenaked Ladies was one of them, and as a joke, Ed booked them as that name for their first gig.
  • Bauhaus — Named after the style of graphic design and famous school of architecture .
  • Bay City Rollers — The "Bay City" part was picked randomly off a map.
  • Beastie Boys — The name Beastie is an acronym standing for "Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Internal Excellence"
  • The Beatles — A tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets. Beatles is spelled with an A because rock and roll was called "beat music" in England at the time.
  • Bee Gees — A contraction of "Brothers Gibb"
  • B-52's — The name of the 'sixties bouffant hairstyles worn by several band members. The style was in turn named after the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.
  • Billy Talent — named after a character in the film Hard Core Logo
  • Black Flag — The Black Flag has been an Anarchist symbol since the 1880s.
  • Black Rebel Motorcycle Club — The Black Rebels was the name of the biker gang led by Marlon Brando's character in the film The Wild One.
  • Black Sabbath — Inspired by a 1963 Boris Karloff horror film of the same name.
  • Blink 182 — The band was originally called Blink but an Irish band by the same name threatened legal action. The band added the number 182, a random numnber (other ideas were claimed to be false)
  • The Bloodhound Gang — A skit on the "321 Contact" TV show.
  • Bloc Party — Their name is a play on the term "block party."
  • Blue Öyster Cult — Allegedly a member came up with the name as an anagram of the beer he was drinking at the time: Cully's Stout Beer. Although it has also been said that it was based on a recipe their manager found and their obsession with the occult.
  • Blur — The original name of the band was "Seymour". They had to change their name later, because their record label wanted them to pick a new name from a list that the label supplied.
  • Boards of Canada — Influenced by educational films of the National Film Board of Canada
  • Bolt Thrower — Taken from the Warhammer table-top games
  • Bono Vox — This person is the lead singer of the band U2, originally called Paul Hewson. He was inspired by a hearing aid store in Dublin, Ireland. "Bono Vox" means "good voice" in Latin.
  • David Bowie — Originally called David Jones, he changed his name to avoid being confused with Davy Jones of the Monkees. His new surname is a tribute to Jim Bowie, designer of the Bowie Knife which he used to adore.
  • Box Car Racer — Three members of band independently picked a random word. The words were combined to get Box Car Racer.
  • Bratmobile — A play on the Batmobile, the fictional car driven by Batman. Combines "Batmobile" and "brat."
  • Brian Jonestown Massacre — A combination of the names of Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones and cult leader Jim Jones.
  • Bush — They got their name from a neighborhood in London called "Sheperd's Bush".
  • Byrds — They changed their original name (Beefeaters)into The Byrds.

[edit] C

  • Cafe Tacuba - after the landmark restaurant in Mexico City
  • Calexico - named after the city in Imperial County, California
  • Can - an acronym for "Communism-Anarchism-Nihilism"
  • The Celibate Rifles - the opposite of Sex Pistols.
  • Ray Charles - His real name is Ray Charles Robinson, but he changed it to avoid confusion with the boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.
  • Caliban(band) - named after a character from Shakespeare's "The Tempest."
  • Chemical Brothers - Initially they called themselves "The Dust Brothers", after the noted US production duo of the same name, but their burgeoning popularity and the threat of legal action from the originals led them to change their name in 1995. "Chemical Brothers" was derived from a song of theirs called "Chemical Beat".
  • Chicago - Their first album "Chicago Transit Authority" was released and then the band was sued by the city, because it was the name of Chicago's public transportation department.
  • Children Of Bodom - Named after the lake bodom massacre.
  • Cibo Matto - An Italian phrase that translates to "crazy food."
  • City and Colour - This stage name is derived from the artist's real name, Dallas Green. "Dallas", which is a city, and "green" which is a colour.
  • The Clash - Inspired by various newspaper articles mentioning the word "clash" to refer to violent confrontations (e.g. "a clash with police").
  • Cobra Verde - named after the Werner Herzog film of that name.
  • Coheed and Cambria - Named after the two main characters of the science fiction story that the band's albums tell.
  • Coldplay - they took their name from a band they knew when the original Coldplay broke up. The band we now know as Coldplay was called "Starfish." The original Coldplay got their name from the poetry book "Child's Reflections, Cold Play" by Philip Horky.
  • Collective Soul - the name was taken from the novel "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand
  • Elvis Costello - Real name Declan McManus. Stage name coined from his mother' maiden name and Elvis Presley.
  • Cream - They thought they were the "cream of the crop."
  • Crowded House - was inspired by the cramped accommodation in Hollywood where the band spent 1985 rehearsing their debut album. The band was originally called "The Mullanes", Mullane being both Neil Finn's middle name and his mother's maiden name.
  • Counting Crows - Duritz and Bryson called themselves after an English rhyme. "...if you hang on to the flimsiness of anything, you might as well be standing there, counting crows..."
  • The Cure - was originally called Easy Cure. The band felt there was too much negativity in the punk scene and wanted an optimistic sounding name.

[edit] D

[edit] E

  • Eagles of Death Metal - Came about when members Josh Homme, and Jesse Hughes were making fun of a friend for his bad taste in music. Telling him that his favorite band wasn't hardcore, they were the, "Eagles of Death Metal."
  • E Street Band - Bruce Springsteen's band was named after E Street (E, not East) in Belmar, New Jersey, because the band used to practice at the E Street home of pianist David Sancious' mother. (Belmar's 10th Avenue was the subject of Springsteen's song "Tenth Avenue Freezeout".)
  • Earlimart - named after a small town in California's San Joaquin Valley noted for being the most poverty-stricken community in the state.
  • Editors - named because lead singer Tom Smith's previous occupation was editing a British fetish pornographic magazine.
  • Elton John - His birth name is Reginald Dwight. He took the stage name, which he would later adopt as his legal name, from two other British musicians, saxophonist Elton Dean and singer John Baldry, his bandmates in the group Bluesology.
  • Eminem - The initials of his name "Marshall Mathers" are M & M, pronounced phonetically they become Eminem.
  • Eurythmics - This is a respelling of a classical dance technique (eurhythmics) singer Annie Lennox had encountered as a child.
  • Everclear - Named after the strong alcohol of the same name.
  • Evergreen Terrace - Named after the street the Simpsons live on.
  • Everything But The Girl - The band's name came from the slogan of an old-fashioned furniture shop on Beverley Road, Hull (now demolished). The idea behind the slogan was that they could provide every imaginable item to furnish your home, except the girl (which worked there).
  • Explosions in the Sky - Named after fireworks the band saw on the American Independence Day.

[edit] F

[edit] G

[edit] H

[edit] I

[edit] J

  • Jefferson Airplane - according to Jorma Kaukonen the name was coined by a friend as a satire of blues pseudonyms such as "Blind Lemon" Jefferson. Alternately, Grace Slick has stated that Paul Kantner named the group after a type of roach clip made from a paper match called a jefferson airplane.
  • Jello Biafra - (of Dead Kennedys) based his name on the famines in the African nation of Biafra. He thought combining it with something as crude as jello made for an ironic and humorous stage name.
  • Jethro Tull - Named after the 18th century agriculturalist Jethro Tull, who invented the seed drill. The band changed its name each week; the first time they were asked to play a return engagement, that's what they were calling themselves. Ian Anderson has said he is "faintly embarrassed" about the name.
  • Jihad Against America - In the aim for the perfect joke/punk band, an antagonistic but accurate reflection of the worldwide Jihad (holy struggle/holy war) against the social, cultural, financial and political domination of the USA.
  • Jimmy Eat World - Tom Linton's (Jimmy Eat World's guitarist) younger siblings, Ed and Jimmy, fought constantly when they were younger. Jimmy, who was stronger and heavier, would usually win. Ed, at 8-years-old, as revenge, drew with crayons a picture of Jimmy shoving the entire world into his gaping mouth with the caption, "Jimmy eat world."
  • Johnny Truant - named after a character in Mark Z. Danielewski's novel House of Leaves.
  • Joy Division - a reference to brothels in Nazi concentration camps during World War II.
  • Judas Priest - Taken from the Bob Dylan song The ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest. Also, a euphemism for "Jesus Christ."

[edit] K

  • Kaiser Chiefs - Named after the South African Kaizer Chiefs Football Club, the former team of long-serving former Leeds captain Lucas Radebe.
  • Kansas - Named after the state all the band members are from, on the suggestion of the band's guitarist Kerry Livgren. The nationally known band was actually the third incarnation of Kansas, with a mixing of the members of White Clover and the previous Kansas line-up.
  • The Killers, named after the fictional band featured in the music video for "Crystal" by New Order
  • Killswitch Engage - After watching an episode of the The X-Files entitled "Kill Switch" (named after the episodes writer William Gibson had a chance meeting with industrial band Kill Switch...Klick).
  • B.B. King, originally Riley B. King, called the Beale Street Blues Boy, then Blues Boy, and finally B.B.
  • Kings of Leon - Derived from the band members father, Leon, a Pentecostal evangelist.
  • Klimperei (French band) - Means to strum on piano in German. [2]
  • KLF - An acronym for "Kopyright Liberation Front", it sums up their attitude towards using samples from other artists.
  • KMFDM - KMFDM is an acronym for the nonsensical and grammatically incorrect German phrase "Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid", which literally translates as "no majority for pity" but is typically given the loose translation of "no pity for the majority" or "no mercy for the masses".
  • Kraftwerk - German for "Power Plant"
  • keane - They chose this name because they had a neighbour that used to take care of Tom, Tim and Richard, she was a big suport for them and she was very kind, the name of the woman was Cherry Keane. The first name of the band was "Cherry Keane" but then they decided for "keane"

[edit] L

  • Laibach - the name for their hometown of Ljubljana in German.
  • Lasgo - Derived from the Scottish city Glasgow by dropping the first and last letters.
  • Led Zeppelin - After being told by friend and fellow musician Keith Moon that the band would go over like a "lead Zeppelin", the band distorted the spelling (so that the name would be pronounced properly rather than said as "leed Zeppelin") and took the name.
  • Less Than Jake - Vinnie Fiorello's (the drummer) parents had a dog named Jake and his parents brought food home from restaurants for the dog, but not for him. In general, they treated the dog better than him.
  • Lipps, Inc. - Their name was a pun on the term lip sync.
  • Limp Bizkit - The band's first guitarist Rob Waters claims the name was chosen because of how a friend of the band described his brain (like a "limp biscuit") while on marijuana. The band themselves contend that they simply chose what sounded like the stupidest name they could think of at the time.
  • LL Cool J - meaning "Ladies Love Cool James".
  • Lostprophets - Named after a Duran Duran bootleg
  • Love - an ironic comment on the harsh tensions between the members apparent from the beginning.
  • Love and Rockets - from the comic book series Love and Rockets.
  • Lynyrd Skynyrd - Named after Leonard Skinner, an annoying gym coach some of the band members had in high school, who supposedly had them expelled for having long hair.

[edit] M

  • Madness - Named after a track by ska musician Prince Buster
  • Mando Diao - The name has no meaning at all, but rather appeared to band member Björn Dixgård in a dream.
  • Marillion - Originally named Silmarillion after J.R.R. Tolkien's book The Silmarillion, the band name was shortened one year later in 1980.
  • Marilyn Manson - The combination of the forename of diva Marilyn Monroe and the surname of serial-killer mastermind Charles Manson. The name refers to both the band and the lead singer. Originally, all members of the group used this naming convention: Gidget Gein, Madonna Wayne Gacy, Twiggy Ramirez, Ginger Fish, Zsa Zsa Speck, Daisy Berkowitz, and Sara Lee Lucas. Later members John 5 and Skold do not adhere to this.
  • The Mars Volta - Cedric Bixler-Zavala stated in an interview: "The Volta is taken from a Federico Fellini book about, what he characterizes as a changing of scene, to him is called Volta. And Mars, we're just fascinated by science-fiction.
  • Mcfly - Named after the character Marty McFly from the Back to the Future movie trilogy
  • MDFMK - KMFDM spelled backwards. The band included several KMFDM members including Sascha Konietzko; rumors that MDFMK stood for "More Dollars For Mister Konietzko" were untrue.
  • Megadeth - Taken from an American Military term to represent one million deaths.
  • Melvins - Melvin was a grocery clerk at the grocery store where band member Buzz Osborne worked at.
  • Mest - While drinking a can of Milwaukees Best, he made a Spoonerism of the name (Bilwaukee's Mest).
  • Meshuggah - Took their name from the Hebrew/Yiddish word for "crazy'
  • Metallica - As told in K.J. Doughton's book Metallica Unbound, fanzine editor Ron Quintana approached drummer Lars Ulrich to solicit his opinion of a list of possible 'zine titles. On the list was the name Metallica. Ulrich recommended Metal Mania and kept the name Metallica for himself.
  • Ministry - Named after a 1944 film noir called Ministry Of Fear by Fritz Lang.
  • Moby - Richard Melville Hall (a.k.a. Moby), took his stage name from the book Moby Dick, which was written by his great-uncle, Herman Melville.
  • Mötley Crüe - allegedly the band were set to call themselves 'Christmas'. However a passer by commented words to the effect of "what a motley looking crew". With the addition of the heavy metal umlaut above ö and the more phonetic spelling, the name was born.
  • The Mooney Suzuki - Their name was created by combining the surnames of the first two singers of the 1970s German Krautrock band Can, Malcolm Mooney and Damo Suzuki.
  • Muddy Waters - Born McKinley Morganfield, Waters got his nickname because he liked to play in mud puddles as a kid.
  • MxPx - Originally known as Magnified Plaid, a poster design using the letter x instead of a period in an abbreviation led to the name change.
  • My Chemical Romance- the band's bassist was working in a bookstore and encountered Irvine Welsh's "Ectasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance" novel.
  • Myslovitz - the name of the band's Polish home town Mysłowice in an older German variant as found on an old stove in the drummer's parents' house.

[edit] N

  • Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Was the title of an episode of the BBC radio comedy The Goon Show.
  • N.E.R.D - Stands for 'No-One Ever Really Dies', a reference to the soul and also the first law of thermodynamics (energy cannot be created or destroyed). As an acronym the name is pronounced phonetically, rather than 'Nerd'.
  • Neutral Milk Hotel - Jeff Mangum, the frontman and singer/songwriter of the group, had an early collaboration with another member of the band and called themselves Milk, after the name "Neutral Milk Hotel," which Jeff had used in school for various purposes. When they found out another band was called Milk, they decided to use the entire name, Neutral Milk Hotel. Jeff also, at the time, came up with the name "Olivia Tremor Control," which wound up being the name of another band on Elephant 6 Recording Company.
  • New Order - found by the late Rob Gretton, the band's manager, in an article in The Guardian entitled "The People's New Order of Kampuchea".
  • The New York Dolls - In the book Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, the Dolls' rhythm guitarist Sylvain Sylvain claims the name was taken from a doll-repair shop called The New York Doll Hospital located across the street from Truth and Soul, a thrift store where he and original Dolls' drummer Billy Murcia worked.
  • Nickelback - According to an MTV interview, (at least) one band member worked at a coffee bar, where drinks cost $0.95. He would constantly say to customers "here's your nickel back".
  • Nine Inch Nails - Trent Reznor was struggling to come up with a good band name. After going through countless other suggestions, this one stood the "two-week test, looked great in print, and could be abbreviated easily." Reznor denied any "literal meaning" to the name.[3]
  • Nirvana - In Hindu teachings, nirvana means an end to dissatisfaction, suffering and pain. Singer Kurt Cobain was interested in eastern religion and philosophy. He later said that he didn't like the name very much, finding it too esoteric. He was also sued by another band named Nirvana.
  • NOFX - Commonly thought to stand for 'No Special Effects (FX) ', but the band claim the name was inspired as a parody of vague band names and also by a short lived punk band called Negative FX.
  • Norma Jean - Was Marilyn Monroe's real name
  • No Use for a Name - Had a show booked but were told they would have to cancel if they didn't have a name for their band. They decided to use the name "No Use for a Name" temporarily until they thought of a better one. After a while the name stuck.

[edit] O

[edit] P

  • Panic! At the Disco - Band name taken from lyrics in the song "Panic" by Name Taken
  • Pantera - The word "pantera" means "panther" in a number of other languages, but the name itself is derived from the band's home town of Pantego, Texas.
  • Parkway Drive - Named after a street in Byron Bay, where the band's practice space is located.
  • Papa Roach - The band was named after singer Coby Dick's grandfather, Papa Roatch.
  • Pearl Jam - The band originally wished to name themselves after basketball player Mookie Blaylock, but Blaylock objected. (A tribute to him by the band exists, however, as the album Ten matches Blaylock's jersey number.) The band eventually settled on another basketball reference, Pearl Washington "jamming" (or dunking) the basketball.
  • Pere Ubu - The group is named "after the protagonist of Ubu Roi, a play by Frenchman Alfred Jarry."
  • A Perfect Circle - Minutes before their first gig, the band was still nameless, so the band members laid all the lyrics to their songs on a table and decided to name themselves after a randomly picked line of one of their songs. The line was "Metaphor for a missing moment / Pull me into your perfect circle", off the song Orestes.
  • Phish - from the name of their drummer, Jon Fishman
  • Pinback - from Sergeant Pinback in Dark Star (film)
  • Pink Floyd - The band was originally called The Pink Floyd Sound, after blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. Fans later abbreviated the band name to Pink Floyd, which stuck and became the official band name.
  • Pixies - Picked out of a dictionary by the band.
  • Pitchshifter - After the audio processor that changes the pitch of an audio signal.
  • P.O.D. - The band name means Payable on Death.
  • The Pogues - The band was originally called Pogue Mahone (a phoentic translation of the Irish Póg mo thóin meaning "kiss my ass"), but the name was changed to The Pogues shortly before the band's first record deal.
  • Portishead - After the band's home town, Portishead, Somerset.
  • Pretty Girls Make Graves - named after a song by The Smiths, who in turn took the name from a line in Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums
  • The Pretty Things - after Bo Diddley's song "Pretty Thing", one of their major influences.
  • Primus - Originally called Primate. Altered when an existing band called 'The Primates' threatened a lawsuit.
  • Procol Harum - The band was named after the pedigree name of a Siamese cat that belonged to a friend of songwriter Keith Reid's.
  • Pulp - originally called Arabacus Pulp, after a tradeable commodity seen by Jarvis Cocker in an economics textbook. Dropped the 'Arabacus' as nobody knew what it meant.
  • Pussy Galore - after the character in the film Goldfinger.

[edit] Q

  • Queen - Originally called Smile, singer Freddie Mercury came up with this new name for the band. To the band members, Queen sounded regal, universal, simple and humorous in a risqué way. Furthermore, Mercury's homosexuality made the name even more risqué.
  • Queens of the Stone Age - Engineer Chris Goss once remarked that the previous band of lead singer Josh Homme, Kyuss, sounded like the 'the Queens of the Stone Age.' After starting to record QOTSA's first album, Homme realized that he was again trapt in the sound of the Queens of the Stone Age, and the name stuck.

[edit] R

  • Radiohead - Named after the Talking Heads song "Radio Head". The band originally used the name On A Friday, referring to the only time where all band members were able to practice.
  • Raft of Dead Monkeys - Guitarist John Spalding came up with the name while on safari in Nigeria with his dad.
  • Rammstein - German for 'battering ram', translates literally as "Ramming Stone". Also a reference to the Ramstein airshow disaster in 1988.
  • The Ramones - Refers to Paul McCartney's pseudonym Paul Ramone. Dee Dee Ramone was the first to use Ramone as his surname and the band decided to all use it to demonstrate a sense of unity.
  • R.E.M. - from term randomly picked out of the dictionary; refers to the rapid eye movement phase of sleep.[5]
  • Rilo Kiley - While completing a crossword puzzle drunk, bassist Pierre deReeder could not complete one of the clues. Once everything else was filled in, the mystery spaces eventually and erroneously spelled out R-I-L-O-K-I-L-E-Y.
  • Rockwell - allegedly chosen to mean the artist "rocks well"
  • The Rolling Stones - from blues musician Muddy Waters' song, "Rollin' Stone." [6]
  • Run DMC - From the band founders' nicknames: Joseph 'Run' Simmons and Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels.

[edit] S

  • Savage Garden - Their name is taken from The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice.
  • Scissor Sisters - Named after a lesbian sex position.
  • Scritti Politti - The title of political writings by Antonio Gramsci, an Italian Marxist.
  • Simple Minds - Taken from a David Bowie song, "Jean Genie".
  • Slaughter and the Dogs - taken from the two favorite albums of the band members, David Bowie's Diamond Dogs and Mick Ronson's Slaughter On Tenth Avenue.
  • Slayer-Shortened form of Dragonslayer, which was "too faggy". Sometimes said to be an acronym for Satan Laughs As You Eternally Rot.
  • Sisters of Mercy - Taken from a Leonard Cohen song of the same name.
  • The Small Faces - A reference to the short stature of the band members, and the 1960s United Kingdom slang term face referring to a good-looking male.
  • The Smiths - According to Morrissey the band deliberately chose a plain sounding name as a reaction against some of the more pretentious band monikers of the 1980s, but another theory holds that they were named after Myra Hindley's brother-in-law David Smith, who informed on the Moors Murderers.
  • Soft Machine - After the book of the same name by William S. Burroughs.
  • Sonic Youth - Supposedly an ironic reference to community youth clubs and groups, by applying the term to an intense underground rock band. According to Thurston Moore, the name is derived from combining the names of reggae artist Big Youth and MC5 guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith, to reflect two of their major influences.
  • Soundgarden - Named after a sculpture entitled "The Sound Garden" located in Seattle's Magnussen Park.
  • Spandau Ballet - After a visit to Spandau (a section of Berlin), the inspiration being from graffiti one of their roadies saw there.
  • Squirrel Nut Zippers - The name comes from the Squirrel Brand's Nut Zippers, a peanut and caramel candy for sale since the mid-20s.
  • State 52 - The name makes reference to Australia becoming the 52nd State of the USA. It wasn't until 3 months later the band actually realised the name was wrong, and it should've in fact been State 51.
  • Steeleye Span - after John "Steeleye" Span, an English folk figure.
  • The Stray Cats - The name of the fictitious rock band in the 1973 film That'll Be The Day.
  • Stryper - Taken from Isaiah 53:5 "By His stripes we are healed." Also an acronym for Salvation Through Redemption Yielding Peace Encouragement and Righteousness.
  • Steel Train - Named after a Bob Marley song that they've covered in the past.
  • Steely Dan - Named after a dildo in the novel Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs.[4]
  • Straylight Run - Named after a section of and location in William Gibson's seminal cyberpunk novel Neuromancer. The Villa Straylight is a private estate, and the 'Run' is a joint physical/computer hacking assault on the compound's vault.
  • Styx - Named for the river Styx in Greek mythology.
  • Sum 41 - The band formed on the 41st day of their summer vacation.
  • System Crash - The named with the computer kept crashing during a recording system in the singer's Princeton basement.
  • System Of A Down - "Victims of A Down" was the title of a poem guitarist Daron Malakian wrote in highschool. They changed "Victims" to "System" and adopted this as their name, since lead singer Serj Tankian thought "System" sounded more powerful.

[edit] T

  • Talking Heads - The name 'Talking Heads', came from an issue of TV Guide that listed some words used in the television business. A 'talking head' is a shot of a newscaster from the shoulders up. 'All content, no action' seemed to fit the band's musical style and stage presence so the name stuck.
  • Tephra - The bass player found the word 'Tephra' in a children's book about volcanoes.
  • Texas - The band took their name from the 1985 Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas.
  • Therion - The band's name originates from Greek, where therion (θηρίον) means beast; the name refers to the beast of the Christian Book of Revelation, however the band's name itself originates from the Celtic Frost album To Mega Therion
  • They Might Be Giants - The band's name is the title of a 1971 movie starring George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward (based on the play of the same name written by James Goldman.)
  • Thin Lizzy - Lead guitarist Eric Bell was reading an old issue of The Dandy. One of the strips featured a robot called "Tin Lizzie". The band was named after that robot, but for copyright reasons, the name was changed to Thin Lizzy (pronounced "Tin Lizzy" in some Irish dialects). Tin Lizzie is also an old name for the Ford Model T.
  • Thousand Yard Stare - Named for the British term for shellshock.
  • Three Dog Night - The name was suggested by June Fairchild, girlfriend of singer Danny Hutton. She had read a magazine article about Australian aborigines, who slept next to their dogs for warmth. The coldest weather was known as a "three dog night".
  • Tim Rogers and the Temperance Union - The Women's Temperance Union is a Christian organisation assisting wifes victimised by alcoholic husbands operating in South Australia. It's endemic of Roger's liking of iconic and obscure Australian cultural references.
  • Toad the Wet Sprocket - The band took their name from a Monty Python skit called Rock Notes, off the 1980 album Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album. The skit made mention of "Rex Stardust, lead electric triangle with Toad The Wet Sprocket".
  • Tool - Named after a nickname of a tool in the army.
  • Toto - The rock band name was named after Dorothy Gale's pet dog in the movie The Wizard Of Oz.
  • Travis - Named after the main character of Paris, Texas.
  • Type O Negative - They originally named themselves "Sub-Zero," but soon discovered this was already taken. After an extensive search through the Yellow Pages for potential band names, they all agreed upon Type O Negative to best describe their sound.

[edit] U

  • UB40 - Named after the UK Social Security form for unemployment benefit.
  • Ulver - Norwegian for "wolves," animals the band frequently reveres in their music.
  • Ugly Kid Joe - In response to a support slot for the band -- Pretty Boy Floyd. UKJ were an anti-thesis of hair metal.

[edit] V

[edit] W

  • Wang Chung - Anglicized form of their original name Huang Chung which means "perfect pitch" in Chinese.
  • Weezer - There is no confirmed origin of the name, but the most respected is that the name comes from the nickname of the band's frontman Rivers Cuomo, who suffered from asthma in school.
  • Whitesnake - slang for a pale penis.
  • The White Stripes - The band was named after the peppermint candy, which to members Jack and Meg White symbolizes childhood and innocence.
  • White Zombie - Named after a 1933 horror film starring Bela Lugosi
  • The Who - after being called The High Numbers, adopted new name because on posters of the time, each band got a single line, so they would get the largest type, no matter how low the billing. Also rumored that the band members got a kick out of imagining befuddled MCs introducing them as "The who?!"
  • Wings - named by Paul McCartney for the wings of the hospital at the time Linda was giving birth to daughter Stella.
  • Wolfsschanze - The literal meaning is German for "Wolf's Lair". The band is named after a military headquarters that hid Adolf Hitler during parts of World War II.

[edit] X

[edit] Y

[edit] Z

  • ZZ Top is sometimes alleged to be a pun on B. B. King (since a king is top man), or on blues singer Z.Z. Hill. An alternative suggestion is that the name is derived from two brands of rolling papers, Zig Zag and Top, which the band would use to roll spliffs. It has also been said that they chose the name so their records would be at the very end of the record store so their fans could easily find them.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Rhino Records. "Rhino and Elektra ignite campfire songs: The popular, obscure, and unknown recordings of 10,000 Maniacs". Rhino Records. Retrieved November 18, 2006.
  2. ^ Snopes. "10cc". Snopes. Retrieved November 18, 2006.
  3. ^ Mikkelson, Barbara. "311 not OKKK?" Urban Legends Reference Pages, [1]
  4. ^ "808 State Biography". globalState - the official 808 State site
  5. ^ Michigan Daily. "F.Y.I: R.E.M. Trivia". Michigan Daily. Retrieved November 18, 2006.
  6. ^ The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "The Rolling Stones". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved November 18, 2006.

[edit] See also

Lists of etymologies

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