Band name origins

A few examples:

•  Steely Dan The band's name (like a number of others) is derived from the works of William S. Burroughs: Steely Dan is the name of a giant flying steam-powered dildo that appeared in Burroughs' book Naked Lunch. Fagen once explained, "We just wanted to give the band a little more thrust than most other bands."
•  The Doors Jim Morrison was very much into philosophy. He origionally wanted to name the band "The Doors Into Perception," but the record company made them change it.
•  Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield earned his nickname from his grandfather. He called him Muddy Waters when his grandson was a child because Muddy loved to play in the waters a lot.
•  Bare Naked Ladies It actually started out as a dare. The guys dressed up as ladies (bare naked ones). Their friends cracked up because the guys had actually taken the dare. They called the guys the Bare Naked Ladies and the name just stuck. Not to mention the fact that they also like real bare naked ladies.
•  Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones took their name from a Muddy Waters song that went " papa was a rollin' stone..." Founder Brian Jones had several illegitimate children and the song by blues legend Muddy moved him with it's lyrics about a struggling father who said "wherever he laid his hat was his home". Mick Jagger and Keith Richards joined and they added the "g" when they got signed as the Rolling Stones. Sources - 2 biographies "Stone Alone" & "Old Gods Almost Dead"

Many songs have multiple origins listed.  Pick the one you like best.

Here’s the complete list.  It’s extensive.

via The Presurfer