Many notable bands originally went by different names before their mainstream breakthrough. [1] This list of original names of bands list only former official band names that are significantly different from the eventual "famous" name. This list does not include former band names that have only minor differences, such as stylisation changes, with the band's final band name.
The bands listed here must be notable, can be from any genre of music, and includes vocal groups whose members do not play instruments.
This is a sortable list, ordered alphabetically, starting with the name that the band is best known as, followed by the band's original name, and any other names they previously used (in chronological order).
Band | Original name | Other former names | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
The Beach Boys | The Pendletones | [1] | |
The Beatles | The Quarrymen | Johnny & the Moon Dogs, The Silver Beetles | |
Bee Gees | The Rattlesnakes | Wee Johnny Hayes and the Blue Cats | [2] [3] |
Black Sabbath | The Polka Tulk Blues Band | Earth | [1] |
Blondie | Angel and the Snake | [4] [5] | |
Blur | Seymour | [6] | |
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony | The Band-Aid Boys | B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e | [1] |
Coldplay | Starfish | Big Fat Noises | [7] |
Creed | Naked Toddler | [1] | |
Creedence Clearwater Revival | The Blue Velvets | The Golliwogs | [8] |
Def Leppard | Atomic Mass | [1] | |
Destiny's Child | Girl's Tyme | [9] | |
Elbow | Mr. Soft | [10] | |
Empire of the Sun | Steelemore | [11] | |
Goo Goo Dolls | The Sex Maggots | [2] [10] | |
Green Day | Sweet Children | [1] | |
INXS | The Farriss Brothers | [11] | |
Joy Division | Warsaw | [12] | |
Lamb of God | Burn the Priest | [1] | |
Lemon Demon | Trapezoid | Deporitaz | [13] |
Led Zeppelin | The New Yardbirds | [9] | |
The Libertines | The Strand | [10] | |
Maroon 5 | Kara's Flowers | [1] | |
Muse | Rocket Baby Dolls | [8] | |
Nickelback | Village Idiots | [8] | |
Nirvana | Skid Row | Pen Cap Chew; Bliss; Ted Ed Fred. | [8] [14] |
Oasis | The Rain | [10] | |
Pearl Jam | Mookie Blaylock | [1] | |
Pink Floyd | Sigma 6 | Meggadeaths; The Screaming Abdabs; Leonard’s Lodgers; The Spectrum Five; Tea Set | [15] [8] |
Queen | Smile | ||
Radiohead | On a Friday | [1] | |
Red Hot Chili Peppers | Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem | [1] | |
R.E.M. | Twisted Kites | Negro Eyes; Cans of Piss | [16] |
Savage Garden | Crush | [11] | |
Selena Gomez & the Scene | the Scene | ||
Simon & Garfunkel | Tom and Jerry | [1] | |
Slade | The N'Betweens | Ambrose Slade | [6] |
Slipknot | Meld | [10] | |
Snow Patrol | Shrug | Polarbear | [2] [10] |
Sonny & Cher | Caesar and Cleo | [4] | |
Sparks | Halfnelson | ||
Spice Girls | Touch | [17] | |
Sugar Ray | Shrinky Dinx | [1] | |
They Might Be Giants | El Grupo De Rock And Roll | Circle Gets the Square; Dumptruck | [18] |
U2 | Feedback | The Hype | [8] [2] |
Van Halen | Genesis | Mammoth | [8] |
The Who | The Detours | The High Numbers |
[2] [19] |
Many notable bands originally went by different names before their mainstream breakthrough. [1] This list of original names of bands list only former official band names that are significantly different from the eventual "famous" name. This list does not include former band names that have only minor differences, such as stylisation changes, with the band's final band name.
The bands listed here must be notable, can be from any genre of music, and includes vocal groups whose members do not play instruments.
This is a sortable list, ordered alphabetically, starting with the name that the band is best known as, followed by the band's original name, and any other names they previously used (in chronological order).
Band | Original name | Other former names | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
The Beach Boys | The Pendletones | [1] | |
The Beatles | The Quarrymen | Johnny & the Moon Dogs, The Silver Beetles | |
Bee Gees | The Rattlesnakes | Wee Johnny Hayes and the Blue Cats | [2] [3] |
Black Sabbath | The Polka Tulk Blues Band | Earth | [1] |
Blondie | Angel and the Snake | [4] [5] | |
Blur | Seymour | [6] | |
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony | The Band-Aid Boys | B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e | [1] |
Coldplay | Starfish | Big Fat Noises | [7] |
Creed | Naked Toddler | [1] | |
Creedence Clearwater Revival | The Blue Velvets | The Golliwogs | [8] |
Def Leppard | Atomic Mass | [1] | |
Destiny's Child | Girl's Tyme | [9] | |
Elbow | Mr. Soft | [10] | |
Empire of the Sun | Steelemore | [11] | |
Goo Goo Dolls | The Sex Maggots | [2] [10] | |
Green Day | Sweet Children | [1] | |
INXS | The Farriss Brothers | [11] | |
Joy Division | Warsaw | [12] | |
Lamb of God | Burn the Priest | [1] | |
Lemon Demon | Trapezoid | Deporitaz | [13] |
Led Zeppelin | The New Yardbirds | [9] | |
The Libertines | The Strand | [10] | |
Maroon 5 | Kara's Flowers | [1] | |
Muse | Rocket Baby Dolls | [8] | |
Nickelback | Village Idiots | [8] | |
Nirvana | Skid Row | Pen Cap Chew; Bliss; Ted Ed Fred. | [8] [14] |
Oasis | The Rain | [10] | |
Pearl Jam | Mookie Blaylock | [1] | |
Pink Floyd | Sigma 6 | Meggadeaths; The Screaming Abdabs; Leonard’s Lodgers; The Spectrum Five; Tea Set | [15] [8] |
Queen | Smile | ||
Radiohead | On a Friday | [1] | |
Red Hot Chili Peppers | Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem | [1] | |
R.E.M. | Twisted Kites | Negro Eyes; Cans of Piss | [16] |
Savage Garden | Crush | [11] | |
Selena Gomez & the Scene | the Scene | ||
Simon & Garfunkel | Tom and Jerry | [1] | |
Slade | The N'Betweens | Ambrose Slade | [6] |
Slipknot | Meld | [10] | |
Snow Patrol | Shrug | Polarbear | [2] [10] |
Sonny & Cher | Caesar and Cleo | [4] | |
Sparks | Halfnelson | ||
Spice Girls | Touch | [17] | |
Sugar Ray | Shrinky Dinx | [1] | |
They Might Be Giants | El Grupo De Rock And Roll | Circle Gets the Square; Dumptruck | [18] |
U2 | Feedback | The Hype | [8] [2] |
Van Halen | Genesis | Mammoth | [8] |
The Who | The Detours | The High Numbers |
[2] [19] |