Pirate Name Generator
Generate pirate names with earned nicknames, for captains, crews, D&D campaigns and talk-like-a-pirate day.
How pirate names work
A plain sailor's first name, an earned nickname in quotes, and a hard-hitting surname from the sea, the gallows or the grog barrel.
- Real pirates of the Golden Age (roughly 1650–1730) mostly used ordinary names; nicknames like "Calico Jack" Rackham or Edward "Blackbeard" Teach came from appearance or reputation.
- Give the nickname a story: "One-Bell" because they rang the ship's bell once and the ship sank.
- Ship names make great surnames for crew raised at sea.
Got a name? Build the whole sea rogue with the pirate character generator.
Other name generators
Questions
What makes a name sound pirate?
A plain sailor's first name, an earned nickname in quotes, and a hard-hitting surname from the sea, the gallows or the grog barrel.
Were real pirate nicknames like these?
Many Golden Age pirates were known by nicknames from their looks or habits, such as Edward "Blackbeard" Teach and John "Calico Jack" Rackham. The names here are generated in that spirit and are not a list of historical pirates.
How many names can it make?
The syllable tables combine into thousands of first names, and the family names multiply that further. Press Generate as often as you like.