Paul McCartney's alias at the height of Beatles fame became another iconic band's name

In the swinging sixties, The Beatles were the heartthrobs of Great Britain, causing a frenzy wherever they went.

To dodge their adoring fans, Paul McCartney and John Lennon had to resort to pseudonyms while lodging at hotels. It was one such alias that inadvertently gave rise to a legendary punk rock group—the Ramones. The Ramones, in homage to Paul, all took on the last name Ramone. Drummer Marky Ramone reminisced about the origin of their iconic band name during an interview. He credited the idea to the band's bassist, Dee Dee Ramone, who was inspired by The Beatles' early days when they were known as The Silver Beatles and chased by legions of fans.

Marky recounted, "So the next thing you know, Paul McCartney would sign into a hotel room as Paul Ramon."

"Dee Dee looked at this and said: 'Let's call ourselves The Ramones.'"

Johnny Ramone shared a similar tale, noting, "Paul would check into a hotel using the name Paul Ramon. Dee Dee was a big fan, so he changed his name to Dee Dee Ramone. We decided to call the band the Ramones."

Following this revelation, each band member adopted Ramone as part of their stage persona, despite no blood relation.

Marky also dispelled any other rumors about how the band might have stumbled upon their name. He disclosed: "There's another story, too: they opened up the phone book and threw a dart at it - that didn't happen."

However, he did affirm that The Beatles sparked his passion for drumming. In a conversation with the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, Marky revealed that he first saw The Beatles on TV when he was just 8-years-old. Marky further added: "Yeah it was Ringo who inspired me."

The link between The Beatles and the Ramones didn't end there.

The punk band's debut album, Ramones, was musically crafted in a similar fashion to The Beatles' music. They also aspired to mimic the album cover of The Beatles' record Meet The Beatles! from 1964.

However, after having some portraits taken, the band stated the results were "horrible." As a result, the Ramones eventually chose a deadpan photograph of all four members for their debut album cover.

Paul has never publicly discussed the Ramones and the origin of their name.