where did the grateful dead get their name from?

Answer 1

Jerry picked it out of a dictionary

The official GD website (www.dead.net) states the name came from the Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary and has both the title page of the book and the definition available to view. Go to the home page, click on Archives, select 1965 as the year to view both the title page and definition of "Grateful Dead"

Phil's book stated that the name came from an old Britannica World Language Dictionary.

Answer 2

Jerry Garcia flipped through some gigantic book (I forgot what book, maybe an encyclopedia) and randomly stopped and put his finger on the words "Grateful Dead". The band liked it, except for Bob Weir, who later learned to like it.

That's the story I've heard anyway.

Answer 3

The book was supposed to have been an Oxford American Dictionary, and something about the juxtaposing of the two words appealed to them....

I just know they were a dedicated group of guys who toured the country more than most other bands....started in mid-sixties.