What was the original name of the group that became The Beach Boys?

The original name of the group that became The Beach Boys was The Pendletones.

The name was used in 1961 by the young group formed around brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Mike Love is generally credited with suggesting “The Pendletones,” a playful reference to Pendleton wool shirts, which were popular with Southern California surfers at the time.

The name did not last long. When the group’s first single, “Surfin’,” was prepared for release on Candix Records, the label changed the band’s name to The Beach Boys. The musicians reportedly discovered the change when they saw the released record, making the familiar name a label-driven rebranding rather than the group’s original choice.

The Pendletones name is sometimes confused with other early projects involving the Wilson family, including “Carl and the Passions.” Those were earlier informal or related groupings, but The Pendletones was the name of the fledgling band that directly became The Beach Boys.