More boat name ideas
Seven more lists, 150 names each — or see any name set in the typeface it would be cut in.
- Elegant yacht names
- Classic boat names
- One word boat names
- Sailboat names
- Adventure boat names
- Funny boat names
- Funny fishing boat names
- All eight lists
Open the name generator to see any of these in twenty-one typefaces, or take one straight into the design tool to size it against a photo of your own boat.
Nautical boat names
150 nautical boat names taken from the sea itself
Everything here is a real term - a tide, a bird, a sea state, a piece of navigation. Nothing invented. If you want a name that tells other sailors you know what you are doing, this is the list.
The 10 best nautical boat names
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1
Sea Wolf
Short, hard, and it has been carried by fishing boats and warships alike for a century.
See Sea Wolf in steel → -
2
Spindrift
The spray blown off the top of a wave. Nine letters, and only sailors know it.
See Spindrift in steel → -
3
Slack Water
The still moment between tides. Two words with a natural break that spaces well.
See Slack Water in steel → -
4
Kraken
The Norse sea monster. Six letters, maximum presence for minimum cost.
See Kraken in steel → -
5
Following Seas
Both a real sea state and the traditional toast. The best double meaning on this list.
See Following Seas in steel → -
6
Dead Reckoning
Navigating by course, speed and time alone. Long, technical and respected.
See Dead Reckoning in steel → -
7
Fathom
Six feet of depth, and also to understand something. Six letters, two meanings.
See Fathom in steel → -
8
Red Sky
From the oldest weather rhyme there is. Seven characters, cheap and instantly readable.
See Red Sky in steel → -
9
Storm Petrel
The small bird that appears ahead of heavy weather. Sailors called them Mother Carey chickens.
See Storm Petrel in steel → -
10
Even Keel
What every skipper wants, in nine characters. Understated and correct.
See Even Keel in steel →
All 151 names
- Sea Wolf
- Sea Hawk
- Sea Eagle
- Sea Fox
- Sea Otter
- Sea Lion
- Sea Horse
- Sea Turtle
- Sea Dragon
- Sea Serpent
- Leviathan
- Kraken
- Poseidon
- Neptune
- Triton
- Nereid
- Naiad
- Siren Song
- Mermaids Tale
- Selkie
- Kelpie
- Fathom
- Five Fathoms
- Full Fathom Five
- Deep Six
- Davy Jones
- Bermuda Blue
- Sargasso
- Gulf Stream
- Undertow
- Riptide
- Neap Tide
- Spring Tide
- King Tide
- Flood Tide
- Ebb Tide
- Slack Water
- Standing Wave
- Ground Swell
- Long Swell
- Following Seas
- Head Sea
- Beam Sea
- Quartering Sea
- Confused Sea
- White Horses
- Whitecap
- Sea Foam
- Spindrift
- Spume
- Sea Smoke
- Fog Bank
- Mackerel Sky
- Red Sky
- Sailors Warning
- Sailors Delight
- Storm Glass
- Glass Falling
- Squall Line
- Waterspout
- Katabatic
- Bora
- Meltemi
- Harmattan
- Monsoon
- Typhoon
- Eye of the Storm
- Storm Petrel
- Albatross
- Frigate Bird
- Shearwater
- Gannet
- Cormorant
- Tern
- Skua
- Fulmar
- Puffin
- Kittiwake
- Osprey
- Sea Raven
- Halyard
- Hawsepipe
- Scupper
- Gunwale
- Freeboard
- Waterline
- Plimsoll
- Ballast
- Even Keel
- Hard Over
- Helms Alee
- Ready About
- Steady As She Goes
- Course Made Good
- Dead Reckoning
- Running Fix
- Set and Drift
- Leeway
- Variation
- Deviation
- Magnetic North
- Binnacle
- Pelorus
- Taffrail Log
- Chip Log
- Lead Line
- Sounding
- By the Mark
- Mark Twain
- Quarter Less
- Deep Four
- No Bottom
- Anchor Watch
- Ground Tackle
- Rode and Chain
- Snubber
- Kedge
- Sea Anchor
- Drogue
- Storm Jib
- Trysail
- Bare Poles
- Hove To
- Lying Ahull
- Running Off
- Windlass
- Capstan
- Fairlead
- Bollard
- Cleat Hitch
- Bowline
- Clove Hitch
- Sheet Bend
- Figure Eight
- Monkeys Fist
- Turks Head
- Eight Bells
- Dog Watch
- Middle Watch
- Morning Watch
- First Watch
- Noon Sight
- Star Sight
- Twilight Fix
- Nautical Twilight
- Meridian Passage
- Prime Meridian
- Great Circle Route
- Landfall
- Harbour Entry
- Pilot Aboard
A few of these carry a superstition
Albatross is the obvious one - shooting one is what curses the ship in Coleridge, so some sailors read the name as tempting fate. Davy Jones is the locker you do not want to visit. Whether that charms you or puts you off is personal, but it is worth knowing before it is cut in steel.
Two-word sea terms space beautifully
Names like Slack Water or Following Seas have a natural break that lets you set generous letter spacing without the name looking stretched. That spacing is what separates a professional-looking transom from a name that reads as an afterthought.
Want to see one on your own boat?
Every name above opens straight in the design tool. Type it, pick from 21 typefaces, choose 2, 3 or 5 mm, and upload a photo of your transom to see the letters at true scale before you order.
