Kiwi band The Chicks on sharing name with The Dixie Chicks

The Dixie Chicks got permission from a Kiwi sister act to change their name to The Chicks. Photo / AP

A New Zealand duo The Chicks gave their blessing for a Grammy-award winning band to change their name.

Suzanne Lynch and Judy Hindman rose to fame as The Chicks when the sisters formed a singing duo in the 1960s, and had a string of hits make the NZ charts.

They're known for their hits Miss You Baby and Stoney End, and Lynch went on to have a successful solo career.

Lynch tells the Herald about the moment she received the "strange" request. After all, they'd had the band name more than half a century. She was just 14 years old when she began touring with her sister who was 17 at the time.

"With everything that's going on in the US at the moment, they wanted to change to The Chicks, and they were nice enough to get in touch," she says.

However, despite being contacted from the band's lawyers and having "always" been a fan of The Dixie Chicks, Lynch admits it wasn't an easy decision.

The Chicks' album art. Photo / Supplied

"We considered it for a while to be honest because it was a strange request, but it was agreed to share the name of The Chicks with them."

She was a little taken aback by the request at first but eventually called it "an awesome, wonderful" decision.

Lynch was impressed with the band's lovely message, who thanked the band directly in their statement posted to social media.

"They sent us a really nice message saying: 'Our sincere and heartfelt thanks goes out to The Chicks of New Zealand for their gracious gesture and allowing us to share their name. We're honoured to co-exist in the world with these exceptionally talented sisters. Chicks rock!"

When asked if sharing the name will mean the two music acts could tour together one day, Lynch laughed.

"Well that's an interesting question," she says. "It would be fun."

The Dixie Chicks decided to drop the word Dixie from their name because the word refers to the Southern US states and those that belong to the Confederacy, the Associated Press reports.

"We want to meet this moment," the band's website reads, referring to the current Black Lives Matter movement which has sparked protests across the United States and the world.

The three-piece band made a comeback earlier this year and will release their first album in 14 years next month.