This is a list of band names, with their name origins explained.

# ? and the Mysterians – ? and the Mysterians took their name from The Mysterians, a 1957 Japanese science fiction film about alien invaders. Their lead singer, Rudy Martínez, adopted the pseudonym "?" to match the sci-fi theme and cultivate an eccentric, mysterious public persona. 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor – The band name 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor originated from the literal living situation of its creators, Dutch brothers Bobby and Martin Boer. The name was chosen to reflect their roots and the humble, DIY beginnings of their musical journey. It was a straightforward description of who was making the music (two brothers) and where they were making it (the 4th floor). 3 Doors Down – The band started out with drummer/vocalist Brad Arnold, bassist Todd Harrell and guitarist Matt Roberts. As they decided to tour outside of their hometown of Escatawpa, Mississippi and into Foley, Alabama, they came up with their official name as they saw a building with a sign with most of its letters fallen off, reading "Doors Down". Since at the time they started out with 3 band members the name stuck and called themselves 3 Doors Down. 4 Non Blondes – The band got their name from an awkward moment in a public place when a mother looked at them with judgment. As bassist Christa Hillhouse shared, the four band members sat near a trash can where a child wanted to pick up a piece of old pizza. The mother stopped the child and said it was dirty because of people and pigeons, and she stared right at the band. The group realized they did not match the sunny blonde California look, so they called themselves the 4 Non Blondes as a badge of pride. 5 Seconds of Summer – 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) got their name randomly from guitarist Michael Clifford in 2011, who thought of it while struggling to find a band name, potentially while watching the TV show Scrubs. They chose 5SOS because it was a catchy, simple phrase with a good acronym that they felt suited the band. 9mm Parabellum Bullet – The Japanese rock band 9mm Parabellum Bullet got their name from their drummer, Chihiro Kamijo, who came up with the idea when he saw the phrase written on a piece of paper on a wall and thought it "looked cool". The name itself is derived from the 9mm Parabellum cartridge, a popular firearm ammunition, which stems from the Latin phrase, "Si vis pacem, para bellum"—meaning "If you seek peace, prepare for war". 10cc – By his own account, Jonathan King chose the name for the band after signing them to his record label UK Records, after having a dream in which he was standing in front of the Hammersmith Odeon in London where the boarding read "10cc The Best Band in the World". A widely repeated claim, disputed by King, but confirmed in a 1988 interview by Lol Creme and also on the webpage of Graham Gouldman's current line-up, is that the band name represented a volume of semen that was more than the average amount ejaculated by men ("cc" being an abbreviation of cubic centimetre), thus emphasising their potency or prowess. 16volt – The industrial rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1988 by Eric Powell, derives its name from a conceptual blend of mechanical power and industrial texture rather than a direct reference to a specific electrical component. The "16" and "volt" combination was chosen to represent a high-energy, electrifying, and aggressive electronic sound, aligning with the industrial heavy-metal aesthetic popular in the early 1990s. Powell, a songwriter and programmer who largely operated the project as a one-man studio act in its formative years before signing to Re-Constriction Records in 1992, desired a name that reflected the abrasive electronic textures, raw punk guitars, and the "power" of the genre's sound. While sometimes erroneously linked to slang or literal car parts, the origin is rooted in creating a moniker that felt modern, dangerous, and energetic, often described as "industrial-informed beats". 24-7 Spyz – the moniker 24-7 Spyz was chosen to represent a lifestyle of constant creativity and observation, with guitarist Jimi Hazel and original vocalist Peter "P. Fluid" Forrest being key figures in the group's inception. The "24-7" signifies doing something all day, every day—specifically, that the members were constantly "spying" on music, observing life, and creating art, according to band lore. While Jimi Hazel is the founding guitarist and leader, the band was established with Peter Forrest ("P. Fluid") in 1986, and the name emerged from their shared vision of a "multi-genre" group in the Bronx. The name reflected the band's, and particularly P. Fluid's, "reckless abandon" and high energy during their early days. 36 Crazyfists – The American metalcore band, formed in Anchorage, Alaska in 1994, derived their name from the 1977 Hong Kong martial arts film "The 36 Crazy Fists" (also known as "Jackie Chan and the 36 Crazy Fists"). The name was chosen to reflect a chaotic, energetic vibe. 38 Special – According to Don Barnes, the band in its early stages was practicing at a vacant warehouse they believed to be sufficiently isolated for noise not to pose a problem. It did, however, and the neighbors called the police. When officers arrived, the band was unable to open the door to the room they were in because it was padlocked, and told the police that. "That's alright", they recalled one cop saying, "I'll just let this .38 special do the talking" before he shot the lock off..38 Special's Don Barnes talks Hold on Loosely, Decades TV Network (YouTube channel, uploaded November 16, 2018) 38th Parallel – The band derived their name from the 38th parallel north, the line of latitude that served as the pre-Korean War boundary dividing North Korea and South Korea. This name symbolizes a division, reflecting the band's identity. 40 Below Summer – The nu-metal band got its name from a period of severe weather and local hardship in their home state of New Jersey. The name was inspired by a brutal cold snap in New Jersey where temperatures dropped significantly, juxtaposed against the band's feelings of being "below" or at a low point. The members have described the name as representing a state of mind or an atmosphere. It captures a feeling of being frozen or stuck in a dark place, even when things should be "warm" (like summer). It reflects the aggressive yet melodic and often melancholic nature of their music. 50 Cent – The artist adopted the nickname "50 Cent" as a metaphor for change, after having served time at boot camp for selling drugs to an undercover police officer.Interview w/ Jackson . AOL Music (August 1, 2003). Accessed May 22, 2007. The name was inspired by Kelvin Martin, a 1980s Brooklyn robber known as "50 Cent"; the artist chose it "because it says everything I want it to say. I'm the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means."Boots, Tone (August 3, 2005). Get Rich or Die Trying . Stuff. Accessed May 22, 2007. 54-40 – From the location for the Canada–United States border (54º 40' N) sought by the administration of U.S. president James Polk during the 19th-century Oregon boundary dispute. 311 – 311 is an Omaha, Nebraska, police code for indecent exposure. One rainy day, 311 bassist P-Nut and some friends went skinny dipping in a public pool. They were apprehended by police. One of P-Nut's friends, Jim Watson, was arrested, cuffed (naked), and taken home to his parents. He was issued a citation for a code 311. The band found the incident amusing, so they based their name on it. 1349 – Named after the year the Bubonic plague reached Norway. 1910 Fruitgum Company - The album liner notes explain Frank Jeckell found a bubblegum wrapper in a jacket found inside an attic which had the name on it. However, Frank has stated in interviews that this wasn't true, and that when the band (originally Jeckell and the Hydes) signed with Super K Productions, they were given the name. He later happened to find a slot machine that had the text inscribed under one of the jackpot reels "Copyright 1910 Bell-Fruit-Gum Mills Novelty Co., Chicago" and believes the 1910 Fruitgum Company name originated from it.Frank Jeckell (1910 Fruitgum Company) Interview (9/17/23) The 1975 – Lead singer Matthew Healy said in an interview that he came up with the name after discovering an old art journal from a beatnik, with one of the dates listed as "June 1st, the 1975". Healy said that he thought the placement of "the" in a recorded date was intriguing, and decided to use it as the name for the band. 10,000 Maniacs – From the 1965 horror film Two Thousand Maniacs.

A a-ha – A title that member Pål Waaktaar contemplated giving to a song. Morten Harket was looking through Waaktaar's notebook and came across the name "a-ha". He liked it and said, "That's a great name. That's what we should call ourselves." After checking dictionaries in several languages, they found out that a-ha was an international way of expressing recognition, with positive connotations. It was short, easy to say, and unusual."Origins of Band Names A-E ". Heathen World. A-Teens – The 'A' stands for ABBA since they started as a cover band for the group; their name was originally ABBA-Teens but was changed upon request from Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson to avoid confusion. The group later did other songs, such as "Upside Down". Aborted – The Belgian death metal band, formed in 1995 by vocalist Sven de Caluwé, who selected the name primarily for a practical marketing reason: to ensure the band's CDs would appear first in the "A" section of music store racks. Beyond this alphabetical strategy, the name "Aborted" was chosen because it fit the extreme, gory, and horror-themed aesthetic of deathgrind music that the band wanted to create. Embracing a "brutal" sound influenced by bands like Carcass, the name perfectly matched their early lyrical focus on gore, splatter, and later, their thematic appreciation for 1980s horror films and visceral imagery. ABBA – a palindromic acronym from the initials of the first names of the band members: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad."ABBA's biography, page 2 ". Retrieved November 19, 2007. A producer of canned fish was already using the name Abba so the band asked permission from them to use the name ABBA.Palm, Carl Magnus (2001). Bright Lights, Dark Shadows: The Real Story of ABBA. London: Omnibus. AC/DC – Malcolm and Angus Young developed the idea for the band's name after their sister Margaret pointed out the "AC/DC" symbol on her electric sewing machine.

Ace of Base – The band's first studio was in the basement of a car repair shop, and they considered themselves to be the "masters" of the studio. "Ace of Base" was derived from "masters of the basement". Acid Drinkers – The Polish thrash metal band got their name in September 1986 from an incident where founders Tomasz "Titus" Pukacki and Robert "Litza" Friedrich sold concert tickets in Poznań and immediately spent the money on cheap, locally produced, sour Polish wine known as "kwas" (meaning "acid"). Adiemus – Creator Karl Jenkins invented the word, unaware at the time that it means "We will draw near" in Latin. Aerosmith – During a brainstorming session to come up with a name, drummer Joey Kramer brought up "Aerosmith", a word he had often written on his school notebooks, since he had recently been reminded of it by the cover art of Harry Nilsson's Aerial Ballet album, which included a drawing of a circus performer jumping out of a biplane. The other members at first rejected it, since they thought it came from Arrowsmith, a Sinclair Lewis novel they had had to read in school. They changed their minds when Kramer explained the spelling difference. Aiden – After a character from the 2002 film The Ring.Apar, Corey. "[ Aiden – Biography]". Allmusic. Retrieved November 21, 2007.