Still & Wake

Boat names: 150 ideas, from classic to funny

A boat's name is the first thing anyone learns about her. This page has ideas to start from, the rules if you register, and the superstition about changing one.

Small wooden sailing boats in a stone harbour below white cottages
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Boat name generator

Choose a mood to make a shortlist. These are suggestions, and the generator does not check whether a name is available to register.

  • Fair Wind
  • Slack Water
  • Spring Tide
  • Morning Tide
  • Sea Mist
  • Blue Horizon

Say each one aloud and check the registration advice below before deciding. The suggestions work without entering any personal details.

Named a new boat? Make a print from a photo of her. We print the boat in your photo; we do not add name lettering.

A tall ship moored at a stone quay, sails furled on the yards
Tall Ship in Harbour.

Classic boat names

Classic names tend to be short, easy to shout across the water and easy to spell over the radio. Think of qualities, birds and the sea itself.

  • Birds: Kestrel, Tern, Curlew, Petrel, Gannet, Shearwater, Kittiwake, Osprey, Merlin, Swift, Heron, Plover.
  • Qualities: Resolute, Constance, Endeavour, Fortitude, Grace, Liberty, Patience, Valiant, Serenity, Steadfast, Intrepid, Tenacity.
  • Old favourites: Halcyon, Seaspray, Morning Star, Wayfarer, Seafarer, Wanderer, Pilgrim, Vagabond, Nomad, Odyssey, Voyager, Corinthian.
  • Stars and sky: Polaris, Orion, Vega, Sirius, Aurora, Evening Star, Northern Light, Moonraker.

Funny boat names

A pun on the cost or the time spent aboard is a long tradition. Say it out loud on the radio before you commit.

  • On the cost: Liquid Asset, Hole in the Water, Bank Breaker, Pocket Money, The Kids' Inheritance, Overdraft, Cash Flow, Fixer Upper.
  • On time off: Knot Working, Sea Esta, Out of Office, Gone Sailing, Off Duty, Weekend Escape, Long Lunch, Second Wind.
  • Puns: Bow Movement, Reel Therapy, Seas the Day, Aquaholic, Nauti Buoy, Pier Pressure, Ship Happens, Unsinkable II, Current Affair, Shore Thing, Vitamin Sea.

Boat names for couples

Couples often join their names or initials, or name the boat after the place they met or the trip they plan. Shared jokes work too, as long as you're both still laughing a year later.

  • Togetherness: Two of Us, Better Together, Partners, Soulmate, Duet, Second Chance, Our Way, Us Time, Two Hearts, Kindred Spirit.
  • Joined names: mix the first part of one name with the end of the other. Or put both initials with a word, such as J and K Explorer.
  • The long-awaited: Finally, At Last, Someday, Dreamcatcher, Promise, Bucket List, Happily Ever After.

Names from the sea, the wind and the weather

A sea fret rolling in over a small harbour of moored boats.
Sea Fret, Slack Water, Westerly: names from the weather.

Slack Water, Fair Wind, Sea Fret, Spring Tide, Lee Shore, Easterly, High Water, Still Water, Westerly, Trade Wind, Zephyr, Squall, Breakwater, Undertow, Riptide, Salt Spray, Tideway, Moonwake, Seabreeze, Calm Seas, Blue Horizon, Fog Bank, Sea Mist, Morning Tide. Several of our own artworks borrow names like these.

Names from myth and legend

Old stories give a boat a bit of weight. A few to start from:

  • Myth: Calypso, Nereid, Triton, Selkie, Siren, Halcyone, Argo, Andromeda, Odin, Freya, Neptune's Daughter, Morgana.
  • Legend and literature: Excalibur, Avalon, Lorelei, Ariel, Prospero, Moby, Nautilus, Swallow, Amazon, Kon-Tiki, Mary Celeste (perhaps not), Treasure Island.

Names for motorboats

Motorboat names often play on speed, engines or the easy life aboard:

  • Full Throttle, Wake Maker, Knot Slow, Easy Rider, Dockside Daydream, Sundowner, Low Revs, Fuel's Gold, Cruise Control, Slipstream, Afterglow, Blue Haze, Lazy Days, Weekender.

Names for small boats and tenders

A tender or a dinghy often takes a name that answers the big boat's, or simply sounds small and cheerful:

  • Little Wake, Minnow, Sprat, Tiddler, Puffin, Dabchick, Pip, Button, Nutshell, Tadpole, Bubble, Little Sister, Shrimp, Sprite.

Famous boat names

Whatever you call her, we can print her. See our boat portraits from your photo. The portrait shows the boat itself; we don't add lettering, so the name won't appear unless it's in your photo.

How to choose a name for your boat

A still marina at dusk with a row of moored yacht transoms.
Short, clear on the radio and easy to spell out.

Keep it short. Check it's easy to say clearly on the radio and hard to mishear. Avoid anything you'd be embarrassed to spell out to a coastguard. If you plan to register, check the name is free first.

Are boat names unique? Registering a name in the UK

A plain brass ship bell hanging from a wooden post on a quay.
On the UK Ship Register, names must be unique.

On Parts 1 and 4 of the UK Ship Register, names must be unique. They also cannot sound the same, spoken aloud, as another registered vessel's. Names deemed offensive, or likely to cause confusion, may be refused. The regulations also rule out a name that may be confused with a distress signal. You can reserve a name for three months while you decide.

We couldn't find an official rule on whether names must be unique on the Small Ships Register (Part 3), so check with the register before you rely on one.

Renaming a boat: the tradition and the ceremony

Renaming is easy on paper. Part 1 pleasure boats apply to the register, then receive a Carving and Marking Note. The superstition is harder to shake. The National Maritime Museum Cornwall calls it perhaps the most famous maritime superstition of all. The old name must first be purged from Poseidon's book, in a de-naming ceremony.

The most popular names on the canals

Canal & River Trust has published the most common names among the boats on its waterways. Kingfisher, Willow, Serenity, Dragonfly and Phoenix top the list. We found no equivalent figures for sea-going boats.

A white motor cruiser moored side-on to a pontoon, hull line and windows clear.
A side-on view keeps the shape of the boat clear.

New name, new boat? Mark it with a print from your first photo of her. Start with our boat portraits, or see our boat gifts.

Sources

Published .

Written by Craig Fearn, Still & Wake. Last updated .

Craig Fearn runs Still & Wake. He writes the guides and journal.

Questions, answered

Are boat names unique in the UK?
On Parts 1 and 4 of the UK Ship Register, yes: names must be unique and cannot sound the same as another registered vessel's. We couldn't find an official rule on uniqueness for the Small Ships Register (Part 3).
What should I call my boat?
Something short, easy to say clearly on the radio and hard to mishear. Birds, qualities, the weather and the sea are classic sources; a gentle pun works if you will still enjoy it in ten years.
What's a good name for a small boat?
Short names suit small boats: a bird such as Tern or Petrel, a quality such as Grace or Patience, or a weather word such as Zephyr. Keep it to one or two words.
Is it bad luck to rename a boat?
It's a famous superstition. The National Maritime Museum Cornwall writes that the old name must first be purged "from Poseidon's book" in a de-naming ceremony.
What are the most popular boat names?
On Canal & River Trust waterways, the most common names include Kingfisher, Willow, Serenity, Dragonfly and Phoenix. We found no equivalent list for sea-going boats.