What name did The Who use immediately before settling on The Who?

The name The Who used immediately before settling on The Who was The High Numbers. The change happened in 1964, during the band’s early rise in London’s club circuit and before it became one of the defining groups of the British Invasion.

The musicians had originally performed under the name The Detours. After manager Peter Meaden became involved, he rebranded them as The High Numbers, presenting the group as part of the fashionable modernist—or “mod”—scene. The name was intended to connect the band with mod culture and its distinctive clothing, scooters and music tastes.

As The High Numbers, the group released one single, “Zoot Suit,” backed with “I’m the Face,” in 1964. The record was not a commercial success. Later that year, the band returned to the name The Who, which had already been used before the brief High Numbers period. The Mods and The Violets were not the group’s official name immediately before The Who.