Pirate ship name generator

Names for the ship itself, for your story, your campaign, your Sea of Thieves crew or your own boat.

1 credit per search

90 pirate ship name ideas

  • Crimson Gale
  • Black Tide
  • Widow's Wail
  • Bloody Fang
  • Dread Reaver

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What real pirates named their ships

Real pirate ships of the 1700s had names that boasted or threatened. Blackbeard sailed the Queen Anne's Revenge. Bartholomew Roberts named several ships Royal Fortune. Samuel Bellamy's Whydah Gally sank off Cape Cod in 1717, and divers found it in 1984, identified by its bell. Revenge, Fortune and Adventure were favorite words.

Describe your crew and your captain to get 20 ship names that fit them, or browse the ideas below.

5 tips for naming a pirate ship

  1. Use a word pirates loved

    Revenge, Fortune, Adventure and Ranger show up again and again on real pirate ships. Add one to a name and it sounds like it sailed in 1720.

  2. Name the threat

    A pirate ship's name was a warning. Black Death, Bloody Fang or Widow's Wail tells other ships what is coming.

  3. Name it after a captain's grudge

    Queen Anne's Revenge was named for a grudge. A name like The King's Regret gives your ship a backstory in four words.

  4. Make it easy to shout

    Crews shout the name across decks and taverns. Two or three words are easier to shout than a long title.

  5. Match the crew

    A crew of misfits suits a funny name like The Leaky Bucket. A feared fleet suits something dark. Let the name show who sails her.

Want names made for yours? Describe what you're naming and Nomi finds names that fit.

Frequently asked questions

Queen Anne's Revenge (Blackbeard), Royal Fortune (Bartholomew Roberts), Whydah Gally (Samuel Bellamy), Adventure Galley (William Kidd) and Fancy (Henry Every). In fiction, the Black Pearl and the Jolly Roger are the best known.

They often renamed captured ships with words that boasted or threatened: Revenge, Fortune, Ranger and Adventure. Some named ships after people, like Royal James, or after their luck.

It should be easy to shout, hint at danger or luck, and fit the crew. Two or three words work best: Crimson Gale, Captain's Revenge.

Yes. All the names here are free to use. A short name is easier to paint on the hull and to say over the radio.

Yes. They work for game ships, tabletop campaigns and stories. Check your game's character limit if it has one.

Yes. Describe your crew and captain, such as a ghost crew cursed to sail forever or a comedy crew of lost cooks, to get 20 names.

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