Excerpting P-R:
Pearl Jam: As you probably know, they were named "Mookie Blaylock" but changed it, apparently worrying that Mookie Blaylock would object. There has been some disagreement about how they came up with Pearl Jam, but realistically that seems like a pretty pointless argument: Great band, pedestrian name. Mookie Blaylock, however, was inspired.
Pink Floyd: Named for a couple of early century Southern blues artists -- Pink Anderson and Floyd Council -- I think it's a pretty good name, though you could imagine a band called Pink Floyd sounding very different.
Queen: Perfect name for that band, both for its regal splendor and, as Freddie Mercury himself said, its "gay connotations." I've always loved bands that went for glory in their names. The Supremes, for instance.
R.E.M.: This was not supposed to turn into a "how bands got their name" post, but you know how it goes here. I was searching and found that R.E.M. had three other name options: "Cans of Piss," "Negro Wives" and "Twisted Kites." They obviously took the right turn, but just the fact that those three were even considered just goes to show you that some musical geniuses should probably not be allowed to name themselves.
The Ramones: I love that Joey Ramone's name isn't Joey Ramone. He was Jeffrey Hyman. He and the other band members called themselves Ramone because Paul McCartney used to go the pseudonym Ramon.
The Rolling Stones: They pulled the name out of a Muddy Waters song, which is great, but the name Rolling Stones could easily be a folk group wearing flower power outfits.
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