Over the years, Kpop has grown to become a global sensation.
This popular music originating from South Korea combines different genres of music with Korean music roots to win over the hearts of fans. The different music styles, choreography and high production value have resulted in the growth of Kpop to the phenomenon that it is today.
As such, we now see several new Kpop groups that seem to get more popular by the day. K-pop group names are as diverse as the music made by different groups.
You’ll see names that combine letters and numbers, acronyms and much more. Some group names also just make use of the initials of members’ names. They also tend to carry a lot of meaning, for members as well as their fans.
Check out our list of names for K pop groups for more inspiration.
Not only do the groups have names, but the fandoms themselves do too. If you want to know more about a fandom name, you may be interested in Kpop fandom names or maybe these Korean girl names will interest you.
Names For Popular Kpop Boy Groups
Seo Taiji And Boys debuted in 1992 as the first Kpop group ever. Today there are many more popular groups. Check the list out for inspiration.
1. AB6ix – five member group formed by Brand New Music. The name stands for Absolute Six.
2. Astro – six member group formed in 2016 by Fentagio. This is the Spanish word for star.
3. ATEEZ – eight member group. The name refers to A TEENagers Z (teenagers from A-Z can be fans).
4. BIGBANG – four member group formed by YG Entertainment. Inspired by the big bang theory to make a big impact in the music industry.
5. BtoB – seven member group that Cube Entertainment created in 2012.
6. BTS – seven member group that debuted in 2013 and the best K-pop group in existence today. The name is short for Bangtan Sonyeondan, meaning "bulletproof boy scouts". It also stands for 'beyond the scene' in English. The BTS fandom name is ARMY.
7. CIX – five member group that C9 Entertainment formed. The name stands for Complete in X.
8. CRAVITY – nine member group formed by Starship Entertainment.
9. E’LAST – eight member group that debuted in 2020 under E Entertainment. The name is the short form of Everlasting.
10. EXO – nine member group formed in 2011. The name is short for EXOplanet.
11. EXO – CBX – first sub-unit of EXO, taking after the names of its three members.
12. EXO – SC – second sub-unit of EXO, taking after the names of its two members.
13. Golden Child – 10 member group created in 2017 by Woollim Entertainment.
14. Got7 – seven member group formed in 2014. Name inspired by the lucky number seven.
15. iKON – six member group formed by YG Entertainment in 2015. The name is a reference to the word 'icon', with the K for Korea replacing the C.
16. INFINITE – six member group formed by Woollim Entertainment in 2010, the name means limitless.
17. MCND – five member group that debuted in 2020. The name stands for ‘music creates new dreams.’
18. MONSTA X – seven member group formed in 2015. The name MONSTA X is a reference to monsters dominating the Kpop scene.
19. NCT U – the first sub-unit of the band standing for Neo Culture Technology, coined by Lee Soo-man, S.M. Entertainment founder. U here means "a united team".
20. NCT 127 – the second sub-unit of NCT based in Seoul, 127 represents Seoul’s longitude coordinate.
21. NCT Dream – third sub-unit of NCT that debuted in 2016 to give teenagers hope and the power to dream through their music.
22. NU’EST – five member group that debuted in 2012. The name stands for New Establish Style Tempo.
23. ONEUS – six member group that debuted in 2019. The name represents unity.
24. Pentagon – 10 member group formed in 2016. The name reflects the fact that members excel in all five areas: vocal/rap, teamwork, dance, talent, and mind.
25. Seventeen – 13 member group formed in 2015. Seventeen for 13 members, three units, and one team.
26. SF9 – nine member group formed in 2016, shortened from Sensational Feeling 9.
27. Stray Kids – nine member group, the name is meant to be a play on "children outside the house" representing carefree teens.
28. Super Junior – 13 member pop group formed in 2005. Inspired by the time that members were SM junior trainees and were excellent in every field.
29. Teen Top – five member group created in 2010 by TOP Media.
30. THE BOYZ – 11 member group formed in 2017.
31. TREASURE – 12 member group formed by YG Entertainment in 2019.
32. TXT – five member group, the name stands for Tomorrow x Together.
33. VAV – seven member group formed by A Team Entertainment, stands for Very Awesome Voice.
34. VICTON – seven member group formed in 2016 by Plan A Entertainment. Acronym for Voice to New World.
35. VIXX – six member group under Jellyfish Entertainment. Stands for Voice, Visual, Value in Excelsis.
36. Winner – four member group that debuted in 2014. The name was given after they won three rounds of public voting.
37. 1TEAM – five member group that debuted in 2019.
Existing Popular Kpop Girl Band Names
If you’re looking for inspiration for Kpop girl group name ideas, here’s a list you should check out.
38. AOA – five member group formed by FNC Entertainment. The name stands for Ace Of Angels.
39. Apink – seven member group that debuted in 2011. This combines an image of innocence with the letter A (which represents being the best).
40. Blackpink – four member group that debuted in 2016. The name is meant to signify that the group is pretty and talented.
41. BVNDIT – five member group that debuted in 2019, pronounced "bandit".
42. Cherry Bullet – 10 member group that debuted in 2019.
43. CLC – seven member group formed in 2015, stands for Crystal Clear.
44. Cosmic Girls – created by Starship Entertainment and Yuehua Entertainment.
45. DIA – seven member group formed in 2015, short for DIAMOND or Do It Amazing.
46. Dreamcatcher – seven member group formerly called MINX.
47. EVERGLOW – six member group that debuted in 2019. The fandom name for this group is Forever.
48. EXID – five member group that debuted in 2012. The name stands for Exceed In Dreaming.
49. GFriend – six member group formed in 2015. Inspired by real Life best friends.
50. (G)I-DLE – six member group that debuted in 2018. The name is a clever way saying "a group of six individuals".
51. Girls’ Generation – eight member group that SM Entertainment formed. Signifying that it’s time for girls to take over the world.
52. ITZY – five member group that debuted in 2019. The name means that there is everything that fans want in the members of this group.
53. IZ*ONE – 12 member group formed via Mnet reality show 'Produce 48'. The name means 12 (IZ) girls as one.
54. LOONA – formed by Blockberry Creative and means "girl of the month".
55. LUNARSOLAR – a new four member group that debuted in 2020.
56. Mamamoo – four member group formed and debuted in 2014.
57. Momoland – debuted in November 2016.
58. OH MY GIRL – seven member group.
59. Red Velvet – debuted in 2014 as a four member group. Red represents their bold side while Velvet highlights their calm side.
60. SECRET NUMBER – five member group formed by Vine Entertainment.
61. Twice – nine member group formed in 2015, means they’ll capture your attention twice, with their looks as well as their music.
62. Weki Meki – eight member group formed in 2017.
Popular Mixed Gender Kpop Bands
Want inspiration for some mixed gender group names? Check out this list.
63. Akdong Musician – the duo debuted in 2014.
64. CHECKMATE – five member group that debuted in 2020.
65. Clazziquai – the trio debuted in 2001.
66. KARD – four member group that debuted in 2017.
67. Koyote - a trio formed in 1990.
68. MFBTY – stands for My Fans (Are) Better Than Yours.
69. Urban Zakapa – debuted as a nine member group in 2009 but now a trio.
70. 8Eight – trio formed by Source Music and Big Hit Entertainment, disbanded in 2014.
Kpop Group Names Of Once Popular Groups
Here are some names of Kpop groups that used to be popular at some point in time but are not so mainstream now.
71. KARA – K-pop girl group active between 2007 and 2016.
72. JBJ – boy group active between 2017 and 2018.
73. MADTOWN – one of the Kpop boy groups active between 2014 and 2017.
74. Miss A – one of the Kpop girl group names active between 2010 and 2017.
75. PRISTIN – girl group active between 2016 and 2019.
76. Rainbow – girl group active between 2009 and 2016.
77. SISTAR – girl group active between 2010 and 2017.
78. Speed – boy band active between 2012 and 2016.
79. SPICA – girl group active between 2012 and 2017.
80. Wanna One – boy band active between 2017 and 2019.
81. 2AM – boy band active between 2008 and 2014.
82. 2NE1 – girl group that was active between 2009 and 2016.
83. 4Minute – girl group that was active between 2009 and 2016.
Kpop Group Name Ideas
Now that you’ve got an idea of some of the popular Kpop groups and the meanings behind their names, here are some K-pop group name ideas for inspiration.
84. AKG – Any Kinda Girls – indicates that any girls from any backgrounds will enjoy the music.
85. BIOC – Blame It On Cupid.
86. Bloom - a great name for a girl group meaning "to flourish".
87. Bubblegum – a cute girl band name.
88. Candy Coolers – among the many cute names for a group.
89. DI-VERSE – this hints at the group being a diverse one and that the music appeals to fans from diverse backgrounds.
90. DTM – standing for Drop The Mic, for the perfect mic drop moment.
91. High5 – to celebrate splendid performances.
92. Holiday – fans can enjoy the music and feel like they’re on a holiday when they listen.
93. Meow – hints at a subtle sweetness.
94. Queen Bees – the perfect name for the queens of a girl group.
95. Queen Of Hearts – for a K-pop group that is winning over the hearts of fans.
96. Soul2Soul – music that can touch the soul of fans and connect them.
97. Vibe – because fans won’t be able to help but vibe to the music.
98. XOX – representing the hugs and kisses sent to fans.
99. 1More – a name that hints that fans will keep asking for one more performance.
100. 24/7 – this could hint at multiple things. It could mean that fans will enjoy the music 24/7 or that the group will always keep fans in mind while developing music.
Kidadl has lots of great names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for Kpop group names, then why not take a look at Korean boy names, or for something different take a look at these Musical baby names.