Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Basic Rules for Choosing the Right Group Name
• Method 2 of 3: Choosing a Name
• Method 3 of 3: Making the Final Decision
• Tips

Are you looking for a catchy name for your band? The band name can play a key role in your success or failure. Choosing the right name is one of the main points for your group. And one day, when you become famous, the process of choosing a name for your band may even become a legend. So don't go wrong!

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Basic Rules for Choosing the Right Group Name

1. 1 It should be short. Think about it. How many groups do you know with a name consisting of four or more words? Not so much. This is an ironclad rule: the title should not exceed three words.
   • It is very important that people can pronounce the name of your group. For the most part, this is to make sure they remember it.
   • Can you easily shorten your band name? This is very useful in order to promote your group in the market. This is one of the reasons Nine Inch Nails chose this name.
   • Consider future ad campaigns. Your name will be everywhere as you become famous, from album covers to T-shirts. So take this into account.
2. 2 The title should be quickly and easily reflected in internet search results. Nowadays, one of the criteria for choosing a suitable name for a band is how easy it will be to find it on the Internet. When you search the internet, common names such as "Girls" can get lost in the myriad of links to other things related to girls.
   • Therefore, the name of your group should not be entirely ordinary. Groups with the names "Harmony" or "Night" are also not suitable, as they can easily get lost in the millions of results when searching on the Internet. Some of the group names based on simple words, such as "Eagles" or "Kansas", were invented before search engine optimization and are hardly well thought out.
   • With strange names, people can easily make mistakes when searching on the Internet. Therefore, the main thing here is not to overdo it with creativity.
   • Avoid special characters like umlaut and the like. They can confuse search engines. Also sometimes people may not know how to print them.
   • At the same time, it will be easier to find your group on the Internet if its name consists of two or more words (a name from one word should be something very unusual).
3. 3 Avoid names with hidden negative connotations. You need to feel how far you can go without damaging your group's reputation. With the example of a group called "Viet Cong", you can get an idea of ​​how the name of the group can become a problem in getting invitations to concerts.
   • Meaning shouldn't condone bad behavior. One Scottish band called themselves "Dogs Die in Hot Cars", which literally translates from English as "dogs die in hot cars." This is not the best image for the band, albeit provocative.
   • Avoid speculating about tragedy or human suffering in your band name. If the name is obscene, some radio stations may have difficulty pronouncing it.
4. 4 Keep the title fresh. You should avoid names that were popular a long time ago and are clichés today.
   • Old-fashioned would be adding numbers to the names of once popular bands. Thus, the name "Boys II Men" will be so ... outdated.
   • Acronyms are also in the past. Remember NSYNC. The exclamation mark at the end of the name will also make you look old-fashioned.
   • Extra letters at the end of a word are also a cliché. Avoid this. Remember "Ratt".
5. 5 Imagine the image of your group. What is your group? What will you try to convey to people? What is your group like? Who is your target audience? Understanding the nature of your group will help you choose a name.
   • The band name should match your brand and genre. If you're a country band, you probably don't want your name to sound too punk rock. You don't want people to get frustrated that your band name carries something that the band is not.
   • If you understand who your target audience is, then you can choose a title that will appeal to your audience. The popular group "Green Day" was guided by this principle in choosing the name. "Green Day" (literally from English "green day") implies smoking marijuana, and the group through slang appealed to a specific audience of young rebels.

Method 2 of 3: Choosing a Name

1. 1 Find words that have special meaning to you. You may also want to add something else to these words. Your favorite chocolate bar? What is your girlfriend's name? Your hometown? You can use all of these words in the name of your group, or you can choose one of them.
   • Having a hidden meaning in a name can be an important factor when it comes to advertising. You want your band name to have a good story like Led Zeppelin. Keith Moon of "The Who" attended one of their shows and said they were a miserable flop (note: in English the phrase "fail miserably" sounds like "lead zeppelin"). They liked this idea. They only slightly changed the spelling.
   • Make a list of your favorite people, places, and things. Do it without thinking. You can find a good name on this list, especially if you put a few words together.
2. 2 Look for inspiration in pop culture or literature. This theme is long lasting. A famous example is the group "Veruca Salt" ("Veruca Salt"), whose name was borrowed from the book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".
   • Mikey Way worked at Barnes and Noble and saw Irwin Welch's book Three Tales of Chemical Romance (English title of the book - Three Tales of Chemical Romance), which prompted him to name the group My Chemical Romance. The source of the name of the group "Good Charlotte" is also literature. The name of the group "Avenged Sevenfold" (literally from English "avenged seven times") was taken by Matthew Sanders from the Book of Genesis (the first book of the Pentateuch, the Old Testament and the entire Bible).
   • Once upon a time there was even a group called "Natalie Portman's Shaved Head" (literally from English "Natalie Portman's shaved head"). Unsurprisingly, the musicians eventually had to change their name. Naming the band after a celebrity isn't a good idea.And to associate the name with some old case is even worse.
   • Use lyrics. For example, the group “Panic! At The Disco "was inspired by Name Taken's" Panic "and" All Time Low "took the title from New Found Glory's" Head On Collision ".
3. 3 Get inspiration from simple things and products. Flowers. Food. Sewing machines. Well, you get the idea. Take a look around. You will find a huge number of things with interesting names.
   • Malcolm and Angus Young of the AC / DC group found the name for the group on a sewing machine. AC / DC (acronym for Alternating Current / Direct Current) was printed on the back. They decided to use it.
   • Product names can also be great for this. Think Black-eyed Peas or Red Hot Chili Peppers.
4. 4 Pick a random name. There are various methods on how to choose a random name. Sometimes groups choose a random word from a dictionary. So did REM, The Pixies, Incubus, The Grateful Dead, Evanescence and Outkast. Apoptygma Berzerk followed the same path using two randomly found words.
   • Use a name generator for the group. Some websites can create lists of potential names for your group by combining randomly selected words. The disadvantage of a generator is that you won't be using your own creativity. And the name of your group will not contain any special meaning.
   • Yet random names can make up inspiring combinations. Randomly generated titles can be more unique. Some of the best group names are made up of a combination of two words that have nothing to do with each other. Think of Pearl Jam.
   • You can also just brainstorm some random words that you think sound cool. And then try to play with the results. Or you can make a new, unique word out of them (for example, as did "Nickelback").
5. 5 Use your name or initials. This is always a good option, especially if you have a lead singer in your group. For example, the band name "Dave Matthews Band" is based on the name of the band member. And it works.
   • However, this method of choosing a group name involves some risks. If your group changes its lead singer, it will be difficult for you to continue performing with the same name. And the group "Van Halen" is an example of this. Another problem with this method is that some members of the group may feel left out.
   • If you choose your own name as the name for the band, you may need to supplement it to make it sound more interesting. Or you can just use your last name.
6. 6 Come up with a new word. You can compose a new word from several others. Perhaps this new word or phrase will have some special meaning for you.
   • Metallica is an example of such a group whose name consists of a made-up word. It was invented by drummer Lars Ulrich when he was thinking about a magazine for metal lovers.
   • You can create a unique word by replacing the letters in an existing one, as Korn did.
   • Some groups combine parts of their hometown names with parts of other words. However, if you choose a place name that is not your hometown, you may be accused of dishonesty.
   • You can name the group after the area or area in your hometown. Examples of this approach are Soundgarden, Linkin Park, Hawthorne Heights, Alter Bridge and Cypress Hill. It is possible to make a mistake in the name on purpose, but it is not necessary.

Method 3 of 3: Making the Final Decision

1. 1 Make sure there is no other group with the same name. It would be awful to name a group and find out that a group with that name already exists.
   • The name of the group is registered as a trademark. You can check if anyone has used such a name here.
   • Search in Google or Yandex.Make sure there is no group with the same name in the search results. This may seem obvious, but sometimes people just forget to do it.
   • For inspiration, learn more about the meanings of some of the most iconic band names.
2. 2 Find out if the domain name is available. Domain name refers to your group name URL, preceded by .com (or .ru). You can choose a different name if you cannot create a site with the exact name of your group, if it is already taken.
   • Name availability can be checked on websites that sell domain names on the Internet. They will let you know if your chosen name is available, and it's usually not very expensive (sometimes even free). You can find a large number of websites on the Internet that deal with domain registration.
   • With a domain name, your site will be more credible. If you decide to change hosting, the domain can always be transferred. In addition, when you have your own domain, neither opponents nor competitors will be able to use the exact same domain name for personal gain.
3. 3 Come up with more than one name for the group. It's a good idea to come up with more than one band name and then test each one!
   • Show the list of names to people you know from different socioeconomic backgrounds as well as your target audience.
   • Don't just ask which name they like best; ask what associations each of them has.
4. 4 Register your group's trademark. To prevent anyone from using your group name, you must register it. It will be awful if another group registers the same name after you. A trademark is simply a trade name.
   • The other group would then have to prove that they were the first to use the name. Obtaining state registration of a trademark is optional. However, it is worth doing this to avoid future hassle. If you are unsure, hire a lawyer.
   • In Russia, you can register a trademark with Rospatent through the patent and trademark registration office. It is also possible to submit an electronic application for registration via the Internet for several tens of thousands of rubles. The Bureau has a database of already registered trademarks where you can check your name.

Tips

• Make sure this is the name you want to hear shouted in the crowd!
• If the name is in English, it must not start with the article "The". It is used too often. Also, the title will sound more original without the article, for example, "Slipknot" would not be so cool if it sounded like "The Slipknots".
• There are exceptions to any rule. Think of the Nirvana group. Somehow the title works. If the music is good, the title will work too. The music world loves to break the rules.
• Be more original and do not just list the names of all participants in the title.
• Don't choose a band name that makes people feel silly, like “Goo Goo Dolls”.
• Don't choose a ridiculously "vague" or "deep" name like "the other side of the unknown."
• Do not use words frequently used by other groups in the group name. For example, do not use the word "Wolf" in the title, as there are now a bunch of bands that use it in their names ("Wolf Parade", "We Are Wolves"). People are fed up with repetition, so you need a name that stands out from the crowd.