It’s an unusual name for a band, especially given its unique spelling. So there must be a story behind it. Several theories about the meaning of the Korn name have circulated for years.
However, one story that sounds like an urban legend reveals the true meaning of the moniker.
Before we get started, let’s look at another explanation the band has given for their name. It was originally scrawled into the unmistakable “backward R” logo by singer Jonathan Davis to resemble a child’s writing.
But since the real story behind the name is pretty NSFW. It seems that Davis sometimes leaves out the actual inspiration for it when asked about it in interviews. He instead tells a surrounding tale of how their early manager didn’t like the name.
“The Korn logo came about when we were trying to come up with a band name,” Davis explained to Revolver. “We told our manager at the time, Larry, that we were going to call it Korn. And he said, ‘You can’t name your band Korn.'” So we told him, ‘Well, we’ll name it Larry.’ And he says, ‘Fuck you!’ I’m like, ‘It’s gonna be Larry or Korn; you fuckin’ pick.'”
While all of this is true, there is a much more pornographic meaning behind the band’s name.
Why Is Korn Called Korn?
Davis finally revealed the true meaning behind the name of Steve-O’s Wild Ride. There, the rocker explained the true origin of the moniker, despite Steve-O’s claim that he had heard it could have come from the word Coroner or Korn’s home county of Kern, California. But it came from a completely different place. Davis’ revelations had already become a legend among Korn fans.
Davis stated that “back in the day” in Korn’s hometown of Bakersfield — Kern’s county seat — he attended a party where he overheard “two gay guys talking about how they loved felching each other [sucking or eating semen out of someone’s anus],” according to Tone Deaf. The incident later became an inside joke among the future Korn singer’s inner circle.
Davis explained, “The one guy was [saying] that he was felching his lover, and the guy sits all over his face, and he had a corn kernel on his tongue.” So people who knew the story were there, and we just said, ‘Corn.‘ And they’d say, ‘Shut up, dude! Oh, goddamn, no!’ And that is how the name came about.”
Davis was impressed enough to tell his Korn bandmates about it early on, and the group agreed that “Corn” was a good band name, despite being spelled with a “K” and written with a backward “R.” (The latter was suggested by bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu, Davis explained.)
But is this all? No, the true meaning of Korn’s name could be that it makes no difference what the name is.
Davis told Steve-O, “The whole idea behind it was that it didn’t matter what you were called. It’s like a punk rock thing. It’s like, fuck, let’s call it Korn. Who cares? I don’t need a mysterious weird fucking name.
