Band Name Ideas

The Best Band Name Ideas

Starting your own band can be a thrilling experience, but first, you need to think of a name! Many of the best bands throughout history have had amazing names, from rock and roll legends like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to pop heroes like One Direction and the Spice Girls.

But how do you come up with iconic and inventive band name ideas like those? Well, it can be a challenge. Many bands actually struggle to settle on the right name in the early days. The Beatles, for example, famously used various band names like The Quarrymen and Johnny and the Moondogs, before settling on the name that made them famous.

However, choosing the right band names doesn’t have to be difficult. In this guide, we’ll go over some methods you can use to create amazing band name ideas for different types of bands, from rock and metal groups to boy bands and girl bands, too. We’ll also analyze some real-world band names, and introduce you to our band name generator, capable of creating hundreds of band names in a flash.

15 Rock and Metal Band Name Ideas 

Band names tend to vary from genre to genre. Creating band name ideas for a rock or metal band, for example, will usually be a different process when compared to naming a pop-focused boy band or a jazz troupe. Here, we’ll take a look at some band name ideas that are specifically aimed at rockers and metalheads.

• Embers & Ashes   
• Hell’s Spawn    
• Serving Justice   
• Corrupt    
• Wreck the System   
• Maid of Metal    
• Upstart Underdogs   
• Never Come Back    
• Blood in the Water    
• Voyager    
• The Shadows   
• The Young Blood
• The Dirty Secrets  
• The Tenders    
• Identity Breakdown

Tips for Creating Rock and Metal Band Name Ideas

Rock and metal music is often associated with ideas of anarchy and rebellion, so you may want to include rebellious-sounding words or phrases as part of your name if your band plans to go in this direction. A lot of metal bands are also associated with ideas of darkness, monsters, and hell, so this is another direction you could choose to go in. However, there are also plenty of light-hearted rock and metal band names out there, so you could choose to use something more humorous and pleasant, if that’s the kind of band you want to make.

15 Fun Band Names for Boy Bands and Girl Bands 

You might also be planning to set up your own boy band or girl band, hoping to become the next big thing like One Direction, BTS, Destiny’s Child, or the Sugababes. Girl and boy band names are often catchy and inventive, and here are some great band name ideas to start off with.

• Love’s Lost  
• True Love   
• The Real  
• The Renegades   
• Soul Sisters   
• Brothers United   
• The Queen Bees   
• The Bad Dogs   
• Variation X       
• Fallen Angels     
• Fireflies   
• Silva Sisters   
• The Poppies 
• The Smoking Guns    
• The Yes No

Tips for Creating Fun Band Names for Boy Bands and Girl Bands

A good way to create band name ideas for your new pop group is to think of words and phrases that express the sorts of messages you want to share and the style of music you hope to make. It’s common to include references to love, life, fate, and relationships when building band names for these kinds of pop bands, but you’re free to create any kind of name you want that tells people about your band.

15 One Word Band Name Ideas 

You could also opt to have a one-word band name. There are many examples of one-word band names in the real world, such as Queen, Incubus, Muse, Nirvana, Paramore, and Metallica, and having a single word as your band’s name can be a great way to make an impact on the music scene and connect with your audience. Here are some one-word band name ideas to inspire you.

• Oblivion   
• Zenith   
• Hazmat   
• Pacific   
• Forgotten 
• Union   
• Firestarter   
• Speed   
• Unisex   
• Tempus   
• Veritas    
• Solar    
• Leech   
• Sleepsound
• Haste

Tips for Creating One Word Band Name Ideas 

Creating one-word band name ideas can be quite a challenge, as you really need to be careful and selective in terms of which word you choose to use. It’s important to find a word that accurately represents your group and sends out the vibe and message you want to share with your fans. You could try experimenting with words from different languages to stand out, or you could also imitate bands like Radiohead, Coldplay, and Audioslave by combining two words together into one.

Some name ideas for you:

The Best Real-World Band Names

There are already countless bands out there with amazing and inventive names. It can be useful to look at the names of some of your favorite bands or musical influences when making your own band names. So, in this section, we’ll analyze some real-world band names and think about what makes them stand out.

Weezer

How Weezer Got Its Name

Weezer is the name of a rock band that originated in LA in the early 90s. The name was invented on-the-fly, just before the band’s first show where they closed for Keanu Reeves’ band, Dogstar. Rivers Cuomo came up with the name as he had been picked on as a child by schoolmates and his own father due to his asthma.

Why Weezer Is A Great Band Name

Weezer is one of the best one-word rock band names ever invented. It appeals to all the people out there who have been picked on, teased, and given mean nicknames due to things they can’t control about themselves, and it also expresses the band’s idea of fighting back against bullies and oppression. Plus, since it’s just one word, it’s also very easy for people to remember.

Black Sabbath

How Black Sabbath Got Its Name

Black Sabbath was a metal band that formed in Birmingham in the UK in the late 1960s. The band was originally known as the Polka Tulk Blues Band, later changing its name to Earth, before settling on Black Sabbath, which is the perfect embodiment of their dark identity.    

Why Black Sabbath Is A Great Band Name

Black Sabbath was one of the first metal bands to ever exist, and its name set the standard for many other metal bands to follow, as well as creating an entire image for the band and its members, including the “Prince of Darkness” himself, Ozzy Osbourne.

The Beach Boys 

How The Beach Boys Got Its Name 

The Beach Boys is an American rock band that started in 1961, formed by a trio of brothers – Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson – along with their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. The band’s name ties in well with its music, which often involves lyrics and themes associated with the beach, summer, and California culture.   

Why The Beach Boys Is A Great Band Name

The Beach Boys is a really simple name, but it’s also one that is timeless and very accurately embodies the identity of this group and its music. This is therefore a great example of a band using a name that really means something and reflects the kind of music it makes.

Most Successful Band Names

BTS 

How BTS Got Its Name

BTS is one of the biggest bands in existence. This K-Pop boy band was formed in 2010 and has topped the charts around the globe. Its name comes from a Korean phrase – Bangtan Sonyeondan – which translates to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” in English.     

Why BTS Is A Great Band Name

BTS is proof that using an acronym as a band name can be an effective method, especially if you want to appeal to a global audience, as people in all languages can easily remember and understand simple acronyms like this. 

Spice Girls

How Spice Girls Got Its Name

The Spice Girls are a girl group from the UK that formed in the 90s and became one of the most popular and successful girl groups of all time. The band was originally called Touch, but later changed the name to Spice after writing a song called “Sugar and Spice”. This later grew into Spice Girls.    

Why Spice Girls Is A Great Band Name

Spice Girls is a fabulous and iconic name for a girl group. The word “Spice” is very evocative here, as it implies that the women in this group are feisty, lively, and exciting, which worked well for the band’s image and helped them gain a lot of fans through the 90s and beyond.

The Beatles

How The Beatles Got Its Name

The Beatles was a British rock and roll band formed in 1960. The group underwent a few different name changes in the early days, with the members eventually settling on The Beatles as a fun play on words, blending “Beat” with “Beetles”.   

Why The Beatles Is A Great Band Name

The Beatles is quite a simple and lighthearted name for a rock and roll band, but it ended up becoming one of the most iconic names in the history of music. This proves that sometimes, seemingly simple or random names can work well, so you don’t necessarily need to worry too much about finding a name with deep symbolism or complicated words when naming your own band.

Tips for Creating Your Own Band Name

Take Your Time

One of the best tips we can provide for young, aspiring musicians who are just starting out is to take your time when coming up with band name ideas. Don’t rush into it or pick the first thing you think of. It’s much better to spend some time together as a band, discussing ideas and allowing everyone to have some input. With time, you can start to come up with a range of band name ideas, compare them, test them on your friends and family to get feedback, and finally choose one that you can truly feel proud of.

Be Creative

Musicians, singers, and songwriters are naturally creative and artistic people, and you’ll need to use your own sense of creativity in order to create truly great band names. After all, some of the best band names from history stand out for their creativity and unusual nature. Names like Third Eye Blind, Queens of the Stone Age, Panic! At The Disco, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have that random factor that really makes them stand out from the crowd, and creative names like these can work really well in terms of drawing in an audience and helping your band stand out.

Deliver a Message

Some of the most iconic band names from history also managed to deliver a message or make a statement, telling us a lot about the band in just a few words. Public Enemy, for example, is a name that immediately gives off the impression that this band isn’t afraid to make bold statements and shake things up. Rage Against the Machine is another classic band name that clearly shows the band’s political ideas. There was even a Scottish band called Dogs Die in Hot Cars, which not only gave the band a unique moniker, but also made a public service announcement for animal rights.

Make it Personal

Ultimately, the length or randomness of your band name isn’t what will make it great. What really matters is that your name has meaning and purpose. Try to choose something that all of the members of your band can really relate to, or try to find a way to sum up your band’s musical style or vibe in just a few simple words. If you can do that, you’ll already be off to a good start, and people will begin to associate your band’s performances and style with that name, which will be very helpful in terms of building up a fanbase.

Use the Band Name Generator

If you need some ideas and inspiration to get you started with band name ideas for your new group, try our band name generator. The BizNameWiz band name generator can take any word you type in and use it to create hundreds of custom band names for you to use. It could help you find the perfect band name you’ve been looking for, or it can at least give you some inspiration to help in the process. To use the band name generator, just type a word into the box provided and click on the generate button.

Conclusion

It can feel like a real challenge to come up with a brilliant band name, but we hope that this guide has given you the tips and tools you need to make the process much easier. Remember to use the band name generator to get some great ideas, and try to find a name that the whole band can relate to and feel happy with.

Related Business Name Generators

• DJ Name Generator
• Audio Business Names
• Music Festival Names