What were New Kids on the Block originally named?

Say what you will about boy bands put together by some greedy producer — they seem to work. Just ask New Kids on the Block (aka NKOTB as any Blockhead knows) who have sold more than 80 million records worldwide.

Peaking in popularity in the late '80s and early '90s, NKOTB is comprised of Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. Despite "breaking up" in 1994, they reconvened in the mid-2000s and apparently are still going strong. In fact, in 2023 they even put on an NKOTB cruise. Cruises are typically neither for kids nor on a block, but hey, good for them.

I'm a strong believer that a music group's name has much to do with its ultimate success, at least most of the time. And if NKOTB had gone with their original name, I'm not so sure they'd have reached such fame. They definitely wouldn't be putting on cruises.

What were New Kids on the Block originally named?