Group names based on one person
June 1, 2005 8:42 AM   Subscribe

I'm looking for some naming help - to try to turn an individual's name into a collective. There are some obvious ones - "Steptoe & Son" "Will Vinton Studios" "The Jimi Hendrix Experience" as well as the typical "and associates" or "and partners" or "and Co."

I think there's inspiration from the world of business, from band names, and probably others. The name should suggest a collaborative or collective approach, as well as intelligence, smarts, capability, and perhaps fun, energy, or humor. It needs to be generic enough to work with a specific name, so even though Harry and His Hendersons seems clever, it really doesn't work unless we're dealing with, well, Harry, and anyway, you know.

The AskMeFi edict against non-helpful responses should be weighed against the creativity of brainstorming here; you may have a silly idea that someone can build on, but that's probably a different sort of creativity (in the problem) versus trying to demonstrate how hip or clever you can be (at the problem).

some unfleshed out seeds:
The titles for Robert Ludlum novels as a template - The Parsifal Mosaic, the Matarese Circle. i.e, "the" + [name] + [noun]

Anything cool to be drawn from those crazy collective nouns for animals (flock, herd, murder, etc.)?

Seems like soccer teams opened the door for non-traditional North American sports team names (from Bruins, Nordiques, Patriots, Toros to Heat, Force and whatever else) that deal with their collectiveness in a different way.
posted by stevil to Writing & Language (22 answers total)
 
How about your own suggestion (implied):
The ____ Collective.
posted by birdsquared at 8:58 AM on June 1, 2005


Response by poster: odinstream - I don't know that's really what it's called - I just made that up in order to describe the issue!
posted by stevil at 9:01 AM on June 1, 2005


A band at university was _____ with the ______'s. It was slightly distinct, which the leader felt gave more spotlight to the backing group.
posted by sagwalla at 9:04 AM on June 1, 2005


I've always been fond of "brigade." Its deliciously archaic.

As in "The googly brigade" or "The Metafilter Addicts Brigade."
posted by googly at 9:09 AM on June 1, 2005


(most of these start with 'The' which I have omitted to save me typing.)

__ explosion

__ experiment

__ diagnosis

__ plan to take over the world

__ agenda

__ noise

__ way of dismissing the problem

__ list of things __ doesn't like

__ arraignment

__ and the other ones

__ conspiracy theory

__ bile machine

__ roach motel

__ webring of doom

__ circus of curiosities

__ dance party

__ genetic disorder

__ method

__ sawbuck band

__ plays frontman for some other people
posted by lumpenprole at 9:09 AM on June 1, 2005


If the proper name ends with an r you can always use the suffix ati. For example, The Metafilterati.
posted by samuelad at 9:12 AM on June 1, 2005


__ implosion
__ accretion
__ inspiration
__ thing
__ thang
posted by matildaben at 9:13 AM on June 1, 2005


Team ___
posted by flabdablet at 9:20 AM on June 1, 2005


How about Operation __ or Operation ( adjective) __, i.e. Operation Raging/Blind/Merciful __?

Oops, I found a generator.
posted by glibhamdreck at 9:29 AM on June 1, 2005


____ syndrome
____ conspiracy
____ hunters
____ & the 3/4 inch wingnuts
posted by klarck at 9:32 AM on June 1, 2005


___ & Pals
___, Ltd.
___ Clique
posted by plinth at 9:36 AM on June 1, 2005


____ Foundation?
posted by headspace at 9:38 AM on June 1, 2005


How about turning a location name into a collective? See: Fort Drastic.
posted by samh23 at 9:54 AM on June 1, 2005


The ___ Group
posted by box at 10:01 AM on June 1, 2005


From another kind of band name:

The ____ String Quartet
The ____ Philharmonic
The ____ Symphony Orchestra

Or maybe

The ____ cabal

or

The ____ cartel?
posted by misteraitch at 10:04 AM on June 1, 2005


It depends on the feel you want. I like set for its quaint, campy flavor; I picture ladies in pearls playing canasta when I read it. Alliance has a more formal, militaristic feel. Posse or mob is connotes shady conspiracy. Here's a nice list of animal collectives.

I like brace for its suggestion of support, and parliment for the way it covers both owls and funk. Those are the kind of groups I'd want to belong to, though. So, I'd suggest starting with the connotations you're hoping for, and work your way out from them.
posted by melissa may at 10:37 AM on June 1, 2005


The League of ___________

The Legion of ____________

The __________-People

The _________ (#number of people in the group#) i.e. The Fantastic Four, if you haven't seen where these were going.

The New _________ or, The New Teen _______ (could be really funny)

________ Riot (borrowing from Quiet Riot and Teenage Atari Riot)
posted by Slothrop at 10:39 AM on June 1, 2005


I've always been partial to the big band-era names (e.g., Benny Goodman and His Orchestra). Somewhere along the line we lost the possessive adjectives -- Josie and the Pussycats, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, etc. -- which is not nearly as amusing to my ears. On Norah Jones's Live in New Orleans DVD, she bills herself as "Norah Jones and Her Very Handsome Band," which I thought was brilliant.
posted by danb at 10:42 AM on June 1, 2005


My wife is working with some people on iron in the upper mantle, and I suggested The Iron Council. So, for you, The ___ Council.

Incidentally, there's an old sci.math thread about mathematical terms that sound like Robert Ludlum novels. The Fredholm Alternative, The Cardinal of the Continuum...
posted by Aknaton at 11:43 AM on June 1, 2005


Doesn't anyone want to know what the group is and why it wants to name itself? It would seem that that would be an early question to ask before pondering answers.
posted by yclipse at 2:28 PM on June 1, 2005


Response by poster: yclipse, that's convergent thinking; I can get tons of that through people that are close to the problem - divergent thinking seemed like the perfect thing to go to this group for (and my goodness - the range of stuff is really great and creative and stimulating).

But whatever; I'm looking to rebrand a consulting practice; to shift it from my name (and that's the ONLY name it has, no other words) to something that represents a team, but is still based around me, and my name.
posted by stevil at 9:35 PM on June 1, 2005


My all time favorite: The Jacquerie. From Les Miserables. Could be the Joneserie, the Frederie, the Janerie, etc.

Second runner up: The Manson Family. The Smith Family, the Jones Family, etc.
posted by Clay201 at 2:54 AM on June 2, 2005


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