Free tool
This band name checker tells you in seconds whether a name is already on Apple Music and whether the .com is taken, then gives you one-click searches for everything else. Type the name below. It works for solo artist names too.
If the name’s taken, the band name generator will give you fresh ideas, each checked against Apple Music as you go. Both are part of our band and artist name tools.
It’s a guide, not legal clearance. It looks for exact matches on Apple Music, so a band with a slightly different spelling won’t show up. And a band can have rights to a name just by using it, without ever registering a trademark.
That’s what happened to Blink-182. They started as plain Blink, until an Irish band with the same name sent a cease and desist and their label told them to pick a new one. The 182 meant nothing; Mark Hoppus later said they made it up.
So if the checker comes back clear, still do the searches it links to before you print merch or sign anything.
Run it through the checker, then search the services and the trademark registers it links to. If an active band is already releasing under it, especially in your genre, pick something else.
Sometimes, but not always. A band that has been using a name publicly can still have rights to it in many countries. A clear trademark search makes things safer, not certain.
If you’re selling merch or the name is starting to earn money, it’s worth thinking about. Read how to trademark a band name for the costs and classes in the UK and US.
Yes. It checks any name the same way, whether it’s for a band, a stage name or a project.