Which two members' surnames make up the band's name?

The name Fleetwood Mac combines the surnames of drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie.

Peter Green created the name shortly after deciding to form a new band with Mick Fleetwood. Green and Fleetwood wanted John McVie, then a bassist with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, to join them. They named an instrumental recording “Fleetwood Mac” as a way of keeping McVie connected to the project and encouraging him to make the move.

McVie initially declined because he preferred the security of his job with Mayall. The new band temporarily used Bob Brunning on bass, but McVie joined within a few weeks and became a permanent member. The name remained even as the group later went through major lineup changes.

The name refers to Mick Fleetwood and John McVie—not Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, or Peter Green. Christine McVie joined later, in 1970, and became one of the band's defining singers and songwriters, but her surname was not part of the original name.