How to Come Up With an Artist Name (and Check It First)

Your first tracks are done, but you still don't have a name. Or you do, but you're not sure about it. Sounds familiar. Your artist name goes everywhere with you: Spotify, Instagram, TikTok, your flyers and the credits of every release. So it pays to think it through.

In this article you'll learn how to come up with an artist name that fits you, and more importantly, how to check that the name actually works before you release anything.

What makes a good artist name?

There's no perfect formula, but most strong names have these things in common:

• Short and easy to say. Someone hears your name once in a video or at a party. Can they find you afterwards?
• Spelled the way it sounds. Odd spellings (a z instead of an s, numbers instead of letters) can look cool, but they make you harder to find.
• Unique enough. A common word like "Storm" or "King" disappears in Google between thousands of other results.
• You'll still like it in five years. A joke or a reference to something that's trending now often feels dated later.
• It fits your music. A drill name sounds different from a name for an R&B singer or a producer.

How to come up with an artist name: 5 ways to start

Staring at a blank page? Start with yourself instead of other artists.

1. Start with your own name or nickname

Lots of artists use part of their real name, an abbreviation or the nickname their friends have used for years. The upside: it feels like you right away.

2. Look at where you're from

Your neighborhood, your city, your street or a place that means something to you can be a great starting point. It gives your name a story.

3. Use something that's about you

A trait, a hobby, something you say a lot. Write down ten words that fit you and see which combinations sound good.

4. Play with the sound

Say your ideas out loud. Does it sound good as an ad-lib or as a producer tag at the start of a beat? A name that rolls off the tongue sticks better.

5. Let a generator spark ideas

Stuck? Try our free artist name generator. Enter your name or nickname (or leave it empty), pick Rap, Drill, R&B or Producer and you get eight ideas per click. Treat it as a brainstorm buddy: grab an idea you like and make it your own.

Check your name before you use it

This is the step a lot of new artists skip, and they regret it later. Run through these checks:

1. Spotify and Apple Music. Search for your name. Is there already an artist with the exact same name? Then there's a good chance your releases get mixed up. Streaming services often match new releases by artist name, so with a duplicate name your song can end up on someone else's profile. The generator has a Spotify button so you can check this quickly.
2. Google and YouTube. Search your name with and without "rapper" or "producer" after it. Do you show up near the top, or are you up against a big brand or a movie?
3. Socials. Is your name available as a handle on Instagram and TikTok? Try to keep the same spelling everywhere, adding "music" or "official" if you need to.
4. Domain name. Even if you don't have a website yet, check whether your name is available as a domain.
5. Trademark register. If you're serious about your name, search the trademark register for the country or region you work in to see if someone has already registered it as a trademark. In the US that's the USPTO trademark search; in the Benelux it's the register of the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP).

Not sure about the legal side, for example whether you can use a name that already exists as a trademark? Ask a lawyer. This article isn't legal advice.

Lock it in: use your name the same way everywhere

Picked a name? Now comes the most important part: being consistent.

• Use the exact same spelling with your distributor, on Spotify, on your socials and in your credits.
• Watch capitals, spaces and punctuation. "Lil X", "LilX" and "Lil-X" are three different names to a streaming service.
• Already have an artist profile? Give your distributor your existing profile so new releases land in the right place.
• Claim your profile as soon as your first release is live, so you control your photo and bio yourself.

Common artist name mistakes

• Copying a famous artist's name with a small twist. You'll always be "the other one".
• Too many symbols or numbers. Hard to remember and annoying to type.
• Only checking after your release. By then your music might already be on the wrong profile.
• Switching names every few months. Your fans and the algorithms lose track of you.

More free tools

Once your name is set, take a look at the rest of our free music tools. Want to know what your first streams could earn? Try the streams calculator.

FAQ

Can I use an artist name that already exists?

It's inconvenient at the very least, because your releases can get mixed up and you're harder to find. If the name is also a registered trademark, it can cause legal trouble. It's better to pick a name that's still free.

Do I need to trademark my artist name?

You don't need to in order to start releasing music. A registration does give you exclusive rights to the name as a trademark in the region where it's registered. Many artists only look into this once their music starts picking up. Either way, check beforehand that nobody else has registered the name.

Can I change my name later?

You can, but you often lose recognition and you have to update everything everywhere. That's why it's smart to check properly up front.

Does the artist name generator store what I type?

No. The generator runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent to us or stored.