The band was started by Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson. At that time it was called Xero for no apparent reason.
When Chester joined the band they changed name to Hybrid
Theory so that listeners get to know what they were going to hear. They had to change the name when they signed for Warner Bros to escape some legal issues. Chester used to walk by the park called Lincoln Park, they were going to name it that but website was not available, so they named it Linkin Park.
