One of the most pivotal moments in a band’s career is picking a name. Often, bands aim to choose names that are representative of who they are and the overall vibe they want to convey. Some bands have extensive lore behind their names, but others picked their names more haphazardly; for example, The Beatles got their name from Buddy Holly and the Crickets, as well as a play on the word “beat.” There are many different ways you can name a band; here are some of our favorites!
The Neighbourhood
The Neighborhood picked their name simply because they liked the feel of the word—it sounded warm and personal. Trouble arose when they discovered that another band in the U.S. had already used “The Neighborhood.” The band ended up deciding to change the spelling to the British version, “Neighbourhood.” The Neighbourhood also stylizes their name by abbreviating it to “THE NBHD.” This variation is often used in their merchandise and on social media.
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys got their name in the most teenage way possible: Guitarist Jamie Cook just made it up because he thought it sounded cool. There wasn’t any deep meaning behind it—no Arctic animals or anything. In fact, Jamie made up the name before the band was even formed—it was made up when creating a hypothetical name for a band he might start one day. The name stuck, and once the band blew up, it became iconic.
Tame Impala
Unlike the previous bands, Kevin Parker’s music project has a more symbolic name. He liked the idea of an impala—a wild, fast animal—being tame. It represents something natural and free, but also calm and controlled. That fits his sound perfectly: dreamy, trippy music that’s still very intentional.
The Strokes
The Strokes struggled to come up with a band name, drafting ideas like “The Flattops” or “The Purple Canoes.” During a practice session, a group member suggested “The Strokes.” They liked the word’s rugged sound, and it was the only one that stuck, so they kept it.
Nirvana
Kurt Cobain had many alternative band titles. He considered “Fecal Matter,” “Skid Row,” and “Ted, Ed, Fred”—all drastically different from the band’s more peaceful name. Eventually, Kurt Cobain decided he wanted a word that didn’t sound harsh or rugged: He decided on Nirvana. Nirvana is a Sanskrit word for a state of perfect peace and liberation from suffering and the cycle of death. Kurt liked how the name contrasted harsh punk names like the band Angry Samoans.
Conclusion
These bands show that names don’t have to be super deep; they can come from random ideas or things that just sound cool. In the end, the name only matters because the music makes it memorable.
