The name bebop is simply imitative in origin: it came from a vocalized version of the clipped short notes that characterized the sound of this new musical language, which was often performed at fast tempos with off-the-beat rhythms reflected in the name bebop itself.

The term "bebop" is derived from nonsense syllables (vocables) used in scat singing; the first known example of "bebop" being used was in McKinney's Cotton Pickers ' "Four or Five Times", recorded in 1928.

The term “bebop” is an onomatopoeic reference to the accented melodic lines of the music. Sometimes shortened to “bop,” the name was most likely given to the style music retroactively, as the musicians themselves often referred to their style simply as “modern jazz.”

Bebop, as the revolutionary new style and sound eventually came to be known (the origin of the word “bebop” partly stems from a nonsensical word used in improvised scat singing) grew as both an offshoot of and reaction to big band swing music, which was dominated by propulsive dance rhythms.