text: why the name led zeppelin? do you know why they named their band this. anhyone know the significance or meaning of this name? they used to be named the new yardbirds. the band's name was changed to led zeppelin, after the who's drummer keith moon quipped that the band would go down faster than a "lead zeppelin."  obviously a zeppelin is a large air balloon.  the group adopted the name, deliberately misspelling the first part to prevent people from pronouncing it as "leed."