Band Name Generator
Generate names for your band below.
Ashley S.
Branding & Marketing Specialist
Article Contents
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How to Name your Band
Band name analysis
5-Tips for Naming your Band
How to name your band
Hey, I’m Ashley (Branding Expert) and I’m going to guide you through our four steps to name your band. Below you’ll find twenty example names I created in this process and next, I’ll show you how you can create your own. To get started try our band name generator above and then scroll below to find the first step in the naming process.
- Down Home Agita
- Amperstellar
- Azure Nation
- Tonephile
- Catastrophe
- Chronic Caterwaulers
- Eggcorn
- Highfalutin
- Lushpuppy
- Nine Percent Pockets
- Lackamusical
- Majordemo
- Bass Menagerie
- Mnemonic Miasma
- Murmuration
- Onomatopie
- PseudoSounds
- Slapdash
- Staccato
- Toothsome
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#1) Brainstorm your name ideas
Start by brainstorming what words could fit into your band name. In my name ideas, I used words like “Caterwaul” and “Staccato” as well as a number of other terms unrelated to music. In some cases, these words may connect to something personal to your band. Your goal here is to create a list of words or names that come to mind when thinking about your band.
If you’re stuck on words to use, try our business name generator.
Here are my name ideas after brainstorming:
#2) Shortlist your ideas
Once you’ve developed a list of possible names, do an analysis of your ideas. Remove any names that could be hard to remember, spell or speak aloud. Keep names that are brandable, sound great, are memorable and communicate your brand values, product or service to your target audience.
Here’s a quick checklist you can run your ideas through to help shorten your list of name:
- Is the name simple and easy to remember?
- Is the name easy to read and say aloud?
- Is the name different from competitors?
- Does the name convey a relevant meaning?
- Does the name avoid overused words or cliches?
My Shortlist:
Removed Ideas:
Create a unique Band name with our Band Name Generator!
#3) Get some feedback
You’ll now have a list of 3-6 great band names and you can start to ask potential customers or people working in the industry for feedback (your target audience). Avoid feedback from family and friends, are more likely to praise all your ideas and they aren’t your customer.
Be sure to ask questions like:
- What first comes to mind when you first hear the name?
- How would you spell it?
With you’re customer feedback you can now ask yourself is the name still relevant? and did it represent your business how you intended?
My customer feedback:
This name conveys sounds that are simply “stellar”.
This name provides a great logo opportunity.
This name conveys the idea of being lost in the words.
This name conveys the opposite of what people would expect from a band, murmuring vs shouting or singing loudly.
#4) Check It’s available
At this point, it’s good to have at least three great band names on your list, in case your any of your names are already taken. You can do a quick Business Name Search online to find out if you’re name is available within your country/state, also be sure to search if the name is also available for Trademark and Domain name Registration.
Check Domain Availability
Competitor Name Analysis
To help you brainstorm potential band names, let’s take a look at three successful bands and break down why and how they’ve chosen to name their band and why it works for them.
Queen is a name that was very personal to the lead singer of the band, Freddie Mercury. The name depicts royalty and elegance. Furthermore, it allowed the band to become more inclusive during a difficult time for many. With a single word, the name is easy to remember and therefore easy for fans to follow.
The Who takes a turn for humor, helping to make the band seem more personable. It also addresses the individuals who may not have recognized the band early on. The simplicity of the name is what has allowed the name to become a statement rather than a question.
AC/DC is a name that many remember, but might not know the meaning of. It keeps things simple and easy to remember, but also carries a deeper meaning. Due to that meaning, it also allowed the band favor with a wider range of people. Alongside great music, a great name can make all the difference.
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Created by branding experts and professional designers.
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Our Business Name Guides
Related: Musician Names
Related: Record Label Names
Related: How to Start a Record Label
Related: How To Start A Music Blog
1. Do a Competitor Analysis
Doing a competitor analysis as your first step will save you a lot of time in the future, knowing what names to avoid and understanding why and how your competitors Band name words for them will help you in forming your own Band names. When analyzing competitors think about:
- What style or tone are they conveying in their band name? How does that suit their sound/image?
- Is there a trend in how these bands are naming themselves? It’s best to avoid sounding like “just another one of those bands”.
- Who does it best? Why does it work and how can I produce a better name?
2. Focus on Naming your Band not Describing it.
A typical pitfall most bands run into is describing their band name too literally, using overused musical terms like music, sound or notes. A more effective band name should convey to customers that the name, and therefore the music you create, has more behind it.
Let’s take for example a real band named “The Who”.
Early on, members of the band knew that they would come across people who wouldn’t recognize them. Instead of trying to fight this concept, they joined the joke through their choice of name. It’s one of many things that helped the band to gain popularity.
3. How to make a more memorable name
Creating a memorable band name is the first step in getting into a customers mind and is also a task that’s easier said than done. Your band name should aim to stop a customer in their tracks and give an extra thought on your product among your wave of competitors. Some tips to create a memorable name would be:
- Use rhythmic pronunciation or alliteration (Mnemonic Miasma, Slapdash
- Try using a word that wouldn’t be relevant when out of context (Murmuration – Refers to murmuring, which is ironic when used as the name of a band.)
- Keep it short and simple.
4. Try purchasing a Brandable Band name
Brandable band names are names that are non-sensical but read and are pronounced well. They often use letter patterns of Vowel/Consonant/Vowel as these word structures are typically short, catchy and easy to say and remember. For example, some brandable band names could be:
- Ritema
- Vixela
- Bireda
You can find a full list of Brandable names at Domainify.com
5. Avoid combining words just to create a unique name.
Another mistake band members typically make is creating bad word combinations when they find out that their band name idea is already taken. For example, John names his band Honey Badger and finds out it’s already taken. Because he’s already decided this is what he’ll name his band he tries to opt for similar sounding names like HoneyyBadger, HoneyBadg or HonneyBadger.
You can see how these ideas are a step backward as they are not catchy, easily pronounceable or memorable. In these situations, we suggest starting from scratch and trying the tips we mentioned previously.
Drum ‘n’ Sass, Guitar Destroyers, Monster Bass
Groove, Up on the Rhythm, Apocalyspe Sound