From The Clash to Led Zeppelin, pop music history has seen some great band names chosen by equally iconic artists.
Anyone who has ever played an instrument and tried to put together a group knows how difficult it is to agree on a band name that will make all members happy.
In addition to iconic names, there were also some downright bizarre names like Chumbawamba and Limp Bizkit.
So what exactly are the reasons for popular band names? Read below to find out if your favorite got his name under unusual circumstances.
Lana Del Rey
Before achieving major success, Lana Del Rey experimented with different stage names but never decided to use her birth name, Elizabeth Woolridge Grant
Before achieving major success, Lana Del Rey experimented with different stage names but never decided to use her birth name, Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, professionally.
The singer adopted the moniker Lana Del Rey in 2011 and said the name, which translates to “The Wool of the King” in Spanish, was a perfect fit for her musical style.
“I wanted a name that I could base the music on.” I traveled to Miami quite often at the time and spoke a lot of Spanish with my friends from Cuba – Lana Del Rey reminded us of the glamor of the coast. “It sounded great on the tongue,” she told Vogue.
Daft Punk
Musical duo Daft Punk arrives at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014
The French duo Daft Punk, consisting of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, was known for its innovative interpretation of electronic music and the dance scene.
The group's name came about after the pair discovered the term “Daft Punk” in a Melody Maker article that contained a negative review of a single by a band called Darlin', which previously included Bangalter and Homem-Christo.
The review used the term “Daft Punk” to describe the music as “Daft punky thrash”, which is how they christened the group who recorded hits such as Get Lucky, Around The World and Harder. Better, stronger, faster.
Coldplay
Chris Martin of Coldplay performs on stage at Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia on November 18, 2023
While Coldplay have been at the top of music charts around the world for two decades, they could have been described as something else entirely.
When the band were due to appear together for the first time at a gig at The Laurel Tree in Camden, north London, in January 1998, they still had no name and called themselves Starfish for the show.
They later settled on the name Coldplay after one of the group's close friends and fellow UCL students, Tim Crompton, was looking for a band name for his own group.
While waiting for a delayed moving truck, he had thought about the name after coming across a copy of Philip Horky's book Child's Reflections, Cold Play, but decided against it and left Martin and company behind. Switching from Starfish to Coldplay is free.
Pink Floyd
Members of Pink Floyd. Left to right: Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Syd Barrett and Rick Wright
Famous for their album Dark Side Of The Moon, with which the band changed the concept of rock music in ethereal and mysterious ways, the band name Pink Floyd came about almost by accident.
Originally known as Tea Set while the group performed rhythm and blues songs, they changed their name in late 1965 after another band called Tea Set was scheduled to appear at one of their gigs at the Countdown Club in London.
The name Pink Floyd was created on a whim by the band's co-founder, Syd Barrett.
It came from two blues musicians in his record collection; Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.
Led Zeppelin
English rock group Led Zeppelin performs in Dublin, Ireland, on the second leg of their 1971 spring tour
Before forming Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page was already an experienced lead guitarist, filling session spots and working with the Yardbirds.
Then, in August 1968, Page invited Robert Plant and John Bonham to join his band, the New Yardbirds, for a tour of Scandinavia.
The name Led Zeppelin does not come from the band members themselves, but from Keith Moon of The Who.
After Page was reportedly interested in forming a new supergroup with Moon, Jeff Beck and John Entwistle, Moon reportedly said the project would go down “like a lead balloon.”
Seemingly intent on proving Moon wrong, Page and co. Greater added the imposing Zeppelin as a suffix to form the band's legendary name, Led Zeppelin.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd (LR Ed King, Leon Wilkeson, Artimus Pyle, Billy Powell, Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zandt and Gary Rossington) pose for a portrait in January 1975
This name comes from Lee Skinner, who was a teacher at the band's high school in Jacksonville in the 1960s and had a poor opinion of students growing their hair.
Unbeknownst to Skinner, these students included the future members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who came up with the band name as a possible homage to their former teacher's name while playing on the sound of a typical South American accent.
After Skinner's death at age 77 in 2010, the band's guitarist Garry Rossington said, “Coach Skinner had such a profound impact on our youth that we ended up naming the band you know as Lynyrd Skynyrd after him.”
“Looking back, I can’t imagine it any other way. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time.”
AC/DC
Singer Bon Scott and guitarist Angus Young of AC/DC put on a show for the audience in Hollywood, California around 1977
Formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, AC/DC pioneered an electrifying brand of hard rock that immediately captivated listeners.
Malcolm and Angus agreed on the band's name after their sister Margaret pointed out the “AC/DC” symbol on their sewing machine's power supply, an abbreviation for alternating current/direct current.
The brothers thought the acronym was a fitting symbol of the band's high-voltage performances and tireless energy, and so AC/DC stuck.
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses grew out of two other bands that already existed
While the name sounds like the result of a perfect brainstorming session for an upbeat American rock band, Guns N' Roses grew out of two other bands that already existed.
When Hollywood Rose, founded by Axl Rose, and LA Guns, founded by Tracii Guns, merged into one unit, the name naturally stuck, even if Tracii was replaced by Slash shortly afterwards.
ABBA
The Swedish pop group Abba (from left to right) Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Björn Ulvaeus
The Swedish group ABBA was a relatively unknown participant in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo”.
Although many members of the band had previous success in various bands, the group became stars after winning the Eurovision Song Contest.
With over 150 million records sold and hits such as “Dancing Queen”, “Mamma Mia” and “Fernando”, ABBA are undoubtedly the band that have had the most success after a Eurovision performance.
The band is known to consist of two couples and is an acronym derived from the first letters of each member's name: Agnetha, Anni-Fried, Björn and Benny, who unite to form ABBA.
Chumbawumba
Lead guitarist Alan “Boff” Whaley said the name was inspired by the sound of “a troupe of 12 smiling African drummers” when the band toured Paris
“Tubthumping” is a track so ingrained in British culture that it still gets loud reactions at parties almost 25 years after its release.
Not bad for a one-hit wonder from a band whose name is as bafflingly confusing and nonsensical as Chumbawamba.
Lead guitarist Alan “Boff” Whaley said the name was inspired by the sound of “a troupe of 12 smiling African drummers” when the band toured Paris.
Whaley said they showed up next to us and drowned out our sleazy rock 'n' roll with thumping beats and loud chants. And one of the chants was “Chum, chum-ba, wailah!”, which they adapted as a nickname for their group.
Another theory is that the name comes from singer Danbert Nobacon's dream about confusing the names of public toilets.
In his dream he supposedly found the male and female entities labeled “Chumba” and “Wamba”, which he combined to name the group.
Panic! At the disco
Brendon Urie, from Panic! At The Disco will appear at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in August 2022
Panic! is an enduring symbol of the emo-led revolution that swept the music scene in the first half of the 2000s. At The Disco's early song titles – see The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide Is Press Coverage – were longer than the contemporary queues at Blockbuster.
While they may have had immediate success, Panic! continued to puzzle fans as to where their band name came from.
It's actually from another emo band of the time, coincidentally called Name Taken, who released a song called Panic in 2004, which includes the chorus “Panic at the Disco.”
Dusty Springfield
According to a 1999 biography of the chanteuse by Edward Leeson, the singer was nicknamed “Dusty” because he played football with boys on the street
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien rose to fame with hits like Son Of A Preacher Man and You Don't Have To Say You Love Me.
You may know her better by her stage name Dusty Springfield. But where did a name like Dusty come from for an icon of the Swinging Sixties?
According to a 1999 biography of the chanteuse by Edward Leeson, she was nicknamed “Dusty” because she played soccer with boys in the street, a name she kept throughout her onstage career.
Limp Bizkit
When asked about the band's name, frontman Fred Durst said that the band didn't want to take themselves seriously all the time and chose Limp Bizkit, seemingly aiming to repel listeners.
Band names like The Clash, Queen and The Police could be seen as an easy way to attract fans. They sound sharp, cool and edgy, while Limp Bizkit sounds dull and boring in comparison.
However, this was apparently always frontman Fred Durst's intention.
When asked about the band's name, Durst replied that the band didn't want to take themselves seriously all the time, having chosen Limp Bizkit in an apparent attempt to repel listeners.
Although the name is not the most attractive, they have still managed to captivate audiences and sell over 40 million albums worldwide.
Nickelback
Chad Kroeger performs “Summer of '69” at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala in Toronto in August 2022
Originally made up of three Kroeger brothers – singer and guitarist Chad, bassist Mike and drummer Brandon – Nickelback have enjoyed remarkable longevity for a band that divides almost as many opinions as Coldplay.
The name Nickelback is said to have originated when bassist Mike Kroeger worked in a café for some time.
When giving change for a cup of coffee, Kroeger would often say the phrase “Here's your nickel back,” inadvertently christening a legendary band name.
nirvana
Kurt Cobain said he chose the name Nirvana because he “wanted a name that was kind of beautiful or nice and pretty, and not a mean, raunchy punk name like the Angry Samoans.”
Nirvana were known for the crashing drum beats of young Dave Grohl and the logical vocals of Kurt Cobain.
For a band that has produced iconic anti-establishment anthems like Smells Like Teen Spirit, Lithium and In Bloom, Nirvana sounds like a relatively understated name.
This was apparently Cobain's intention, as he “wanted a name that was kind of nice or nice and pretty, rather than a mean, raunchy punk name like the Angry Samoans.”