Pirates have always been fascinating to most of us. Whether pretending to be pirates as kids or learning about real pirates throughout history, we are continually drawn in. You might be unable to differentiate between the many pirate names the world has to offer.
So, grab the nearest skull and crossbones flag, and join us in exploring entertaining names for pirates. You’ll learn about famous pirate monikers, cute nicknames, and off-the-wall options. Check out the best pirate names and find your top pick to be captain of your own ship.
92 Tough Male Pirate Names
Tough guys don’t have anything on these powerful male pirate names.
- Ace – based on the Latin “as,” meaning “unit,” but known as an expert at anything.
- Alister – the Scottish variation of Alexander, meaning “defending man” by land or by sea.
- Archer – an occupational name for a “bowman,” but can refer to anyone who hits their target.
- Augie – for down-to-earth pirate names based on ancient ones, like Augustus, meaning “magnificent.”
- Axel – means “father of peace” in Icelandic, but is the most badass of pirate-themed names.
- Balthier – an awesome pirate character in Final Fantasy XII and XII known as a sky pirate.
- Barrett – the subject of “Barrett’s Privateers,” a sea-faring folk song by Stan Rogers.
- Bart – the nickname for Bartholemew Roberts, an infamous Welsh pirate called “Black Bart.”
- Bartholemew – the formal version of Black Bart’s name, meaning “son of Talmai” (the farmer.)
- Bastian – a great short form of Sebastian in honor of the children’s book, Sebastian the Pirate.
- Batista – originally from the Latin and Greek Baptista, meaning “to dip.”
- Benjamin – inspired by Captain Benjamin Hornigold, a 17th-century English pirate during the Golden Age of Piracy.
- Benno – comes from the German “bern,” meaning “bear” for the bravest sea captain.
- Blackbeard – the nickname for the pirate-born Edward Teach, who fought in Queen Anne’s War.
- Blackstone – an English surname meaning “black stone” or a pirate looking for black pearls.
- Blackwell – for Blackwell D. Henry, a pirate in the anime One Piece: Ship of Fools fanfiction.
- Brigg – the word for an 18th-century ship with two masts or term for a nautical “jail.”
- Bronn – means “son of the brown-haired one” in Old English for the dark pirate on your ship.
- Cael – a Celtic word meaning “slim,” when the pirates have been at sea too long.
- Calico Jack – for John “Calico Jack” Rackham, a legendary English pirate of the Caribbean Sea.
- Caspian – Barbossa in Pirates of the Caribbean is called Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea.
- Castor – means “excel” and “to shine” and is the twin brother of Pollux in Greek mythology.
- Cedric – invented by Sir Walter Scott for Cedric of Rotherwood in the book Ivanhoe.
- Cole – a Greek boy’s name meaning “victory of the people” for legendary pirates.
- Conley – for Irish pirates on the list, Conley means “great chief” and “chaste fire” in Gaelic.
- Cooper – derived from the Middle English “couper,” meaning “tub maker,” for one who can fix leaks.
- Cornelius – for Cornelius Andreson, a Dutch pirate taking part in King Philip’s War.
- Crawford – in One Piece: Ship of Fools, Crawford “Stray Dog” Quade captains the Stray Dog Pirates.
- Crowley – “the Headsman” (Crowley) – the first mate of the Notch Pirates in the One Piece Wiki.
- Cutlass – is a short and broad slashing sword any scary pirate has nearby.
- Cutler – for Lord Cutler Beckett, a pirate character in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.
- Davy Jones – used in “Davy Jones’ locker” for those drowned at the bottom of the sea.
- Dax – means “leader” in French and refers to someone from the town of Dax.
- Duggan – from the Irish Dugan, meaning “dark” or “swarthy” for old Celtic pirates in history.
- Dylan – a Welsh unisex name meaning “born of the ocean,” like any lover of waves.
- Echo – a Greek name meaning “sound” when you can’t hear anything but the ocean waves.
- Edge – the coolest of names for pirates, meaning “border,” for those who love to live beyond.
- Flint – belonged to Captain J. Flint, a pirate character created by Robert Louis Stevenson.
- Flynn – an Irish surname meaning”descendant of Flann” or “ruddy” when sunburn occurs.
- Francis – for Sir Francis Drake, who surprised the Spanish Armada with fire ships in 1588.
- Gawain – means “hawk of the battle” in Welsh when notorious sea captains are victorious.
- Gulliver – the title character in Gulliver’s Travels – is a sea captain who has maritime adventures.
- Gunther – a DnD bear folk pirate of a stolen ship he runs with his partner, Red.
- Hadrian – from the Old Roman Hadrianus, meaning “from Hadria” and “dark-haired.”
- Hobart – a variant of Hubert, meaning “bright or shining intellect” for smart pirates.
- Horace – the pirate captain Horace Horrible of the Rubber Fishes crew appears in Candle Cove.
- Hudson – for Henry Hudson, a 17th-century English sea explorer who inspired the Hudson River’s name.
- Hugo – means “mind” or “spirit” in German, the most sensitive among male pirate names.
- Iggy – a nickname for Ignatius, meaning “fiery one” when the ships are set ablaze.
- Ike – inspired by Southpark’s alter-ego of Ike Broflovski called Maplebeard, the Pirate King.
- Iver – a Scandinavian name meaning “archer” with an authentic Viking feel.
- Jack Sparrow – the captain in Pirates of the Caribbean and the best of pirate names for kids.
- Jameson – the “son of James” who supplies his ship with enough Irish whiskey for his travels.
- Jett – a cool name referring to the black mineral jet and a tough guy for sure.
- Kasper – the Scandinavian form of Jasper, meaning “treasurer” for a trunk full of pirate booty.
- Killian – influenced by Peter Pan’s Captain Hook, born Killian Jones, who heads the Jolly Roger.
- Laszlo – comes from the Slavic Ladislav, meaning “glorious ruler” of all.
- Long John Silver – the lead character in the 1883 novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
- Lorcan – an Irish boy’s name meaning “little fierce one” for pirates-in-training.
- Lysander – based on the Greek Lysandros, meaning “liberator,” for free spirits on the sea.
- Marquise – for the Marquis d’Avis, a wealthy pirate in the Caribbean during the 18th-century.
- Marshall – the pirate, Marshall D. Teach, appears in the popular One Piece series.
- Mason – for Samuel Ross Mason, a Virginia militia captain turned pirate leader of the Mason Gang.
- Max – derived from the Roman Maximus, meaning “greatest,” when nothing short of number one will do.
- Mohawk – for Dracule Mihawk, a One Piece pirate called the strongest swordsman in the world.
- Morgan – inspired by Captain Henry Morgan, a Welsh buccaneer in the 17th-century Caribbean.
- Nathaniel – Captain Nathaniel Flint is a character in Disney’s 2002 film Treasure Planet.
- One-Eyed Willy – the nickname of William B. Pordobel, captain of the Inferno in The Goonies Wiki.
- Onyx – black gemstone pirates must watch out since it sometimes symbolizes bad luck.
- Pablo – the pirate Pablo is an alter ego to a character in The Backyardigans show.
- Percy – in Candle Cove, Pirate Percy is the pirate scout for the Laughingstock crew.
- Phineas – inspired by Phineas Bunce, an 18th-century Caribbean pirate pardoned by King George I.
- Ragnar – a Viking name for Ragnar the Bear, a shipwright for the DnD Devil’s Luck Pirates.
- Ramsay – Ramsey Singh is called the Pirate Lord in the Sea of Thieves Wiki.
- Rhodes – from the Old English surname Rhoades, meaning “when the roses grow.”
- Roberts – the most famous of current-day pirate names for Dread Pirate Roberts.
- Roger – relates to identifying pirate ship flags during the Golden Age of Piracy.
- Savage Sammy – from Samuel, meaning “God has heard,” transformed into a cute pirate name.
- Sawyer – among surnames meaning “woodcutter” and Tom Sawyer’s pirate name, Black Avenger of the Spanish Main.
- Silver – one of the most famous pirates, Long John Silver who, sailed with Captain Flint.
- Sixto – the Latin word for “sixth” or how many pirate ships you may own.
- Smee – the character of Mr. Smee is Captain Hook’s funny boatswain in Peter Pan.
- Sparrow – where would names for pirates be without the surname of Captain Jack Sparrow?
- Spike – the first mate of The Jolly Pirates in One Piece: Ship of Fools.
- Stede – for Stede Bonnet, a 17th-century Barbadian pirate called “The Gentleman Pirate.”
- Sterling – means “little star” and belonged to James Sterling, an 18th-century pirate captain.
- Sullivan – for Sullivan Inghard, called “The Grandfather,” from the Great Age of Pirates One Piece Wiki.
- Thane – a red-haired captain of the Matchstick Pirates in the One Piece Fanon Wiki.
- Thoreau – for Henry David Thoreau, who wrote about the wreck of the Whydah Galley in 1717.
- Toby – means “God is good” in Hebrew and is a nickname for Tobias.
- Vane – inspired by Charles Vane, a pirate known for setting his flagship on fire.
- Ziggy – the name of Ziggy Cardon, a Belgian pirate character in the Pirates of the Caribbean wiki.
86 Feisty Female Pirate Names
These edgy female pirate names are for all the lady captains on the high seas.
- Addie – a French nickname of the Old German Adalheidis, meaning “noble.”
- Aegea – means “shield” in Greek and honors the blue Aegean sea.
- Aggie – originating from the Greek “agathodaemon,” meaning “pure,” short for the gemstone agate.
- Anne Bonny – inspired by the famous Irish lady pirate who sailed the Caribbean in the 18th-century.
- Aporia – made up of the Greek “áporos,” meaning “impassable” for routes that can’t be taken.
- Augusta – the female form of the Latin Augustus, meaning “great” and “magnificent.”
- Azure – means “sky blue” in Persian in honor of the deep blue sea girl pirates love.
- Belle – the prettiest of female pirate names meaning “beautiful” or “fair.”
- Bertha – comes from the Old German “beraht,” meaning “famous” and “bright.”
- Beryl – is a light green semi-precious gemstone female pirates are looking for.
- Bree – a proper Celtic girl’s name based on the Gaelic Brigh, meaning “strength” or “exalted one.”
- Calico – inspired by “Calico” Jack Rackam, a buccaneer who won Anne Bonney’s heart.
- Callie – means “lovely one” and “beautiful flower” in Greek when beauty accompanies strength.
- Calypso – is the ancient Greek goddess who ruled over the sea.
- Catalina – a form of Katherine meaning “pure” and an island off California’s west coast.
- Celeste – from the Roman Caelestis, meaning “heavenly” or “the sky” when looking up from the ship.
- Chloe – means “blooming” and refers to a “greenish-yellow color” when the original Greek Khlóros.
- Cleo – from the Greek “kleo,” meaning “celebrated one,” for the famous lady pirate on the list.
- Clover – an English surname meaning “meadow flower,” with a nautical ring to it as well.
- Coral – in honor of the coral beloved by pirates as protection against evil spirits.
- Cordelia – based on the Latin root “cor,” meaning “heart,” known through Shakespeare’s King Lear.
- Destiny – means “fate” when taken from the Latin “destinare,” meaning “to determine.”
- Diamond – the most highly valued gemstone female pirates would love to locate.
- Doria – an ancient Greek word meaning “of the sea,” which a lady pirate can’t resist!
- Elizabeth – for Lady Elizabeth Killigrew, called Old Lady Killigrew, one of the only real Cornish pirates.
- Ember – refers to “smoldering coal” in English for a pirate who lives life on fire.
- Esmeralda – a character in the Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki with the nickname Doña Pirata.
- Evalyn – families will love a form of Evelyn from the French Aveline, meaning “wished for child.”
- Frida – from the Old Norse Fríða used for names ending in “fríðr,” meaning “beautiful” and “beloved.”
- Gilda – means “golden” or “gilded” – for the one among female pirate names who find treasure.
- Goldie – based on the Yiddish Golda, meaning “made of gold,” for tons of pirate booty.
- Hulda – based on the Old Norse “hulda,” meaning “hidden” or “secret” (as in treasure).
- Ingrid – a Scandinavian name meaning “Ing’s beauty,” inspired by the original name of the god Yngvi.
- Iona – the name of an island off Scotland’s west coast.
- Isla – a Scottish and Spanish word meaning “island,” when a lady ship captain wants to explore.
- Isola – an Italian word meaning “island,” taken from the Old German “ishild,” meaning “iron battle.”
- Jade – a green gemstone meaning “stone of the lions” that any pirate would love to find.
- Jetta – a Danish girl’s name meaning “home ruler” when she is the captain of her ship.
- Jewel – is a French girl’s name referring to any “precious stone” a ship full of pirates searches for.
- Kaia – a unique nickname for Katherine based on the Greek “katharos,” meaning “pure.”
- Katana – means “sword” in Japanese and a good way a pirate is ready to set sail.
- Lally – a funny variation of the Greek Lalage, meaning “to chatter.”
- Laverne – means “the alder tree” in Latin, linked to Laverna, the Roman goddess of thieves.
- Layla – an alternative to Leila, the pirate captain in Final Fantasy, meaning “night” in Arabic.
- Lowla – a cool spelling for the Spanish Lola, short for Delores, meaning “sorrow” and “wealth.”
- Lucia – derived from “lux,” the Latin word for light, and the Roman name Lucius.
- Lucky – in honor of the Japanese One Piece Lucky pirates, led by Captain Chance E. Bill.
- Lucy – for Shiro Lucy, a Valkyrie Pirate in the One Piece: Ship of Fools Wiki.
- Marina – both a Latin and Russian name meaning “lady from the sea” or “sea maiden.”
- Marisa – a One-Piece role-play member of the Hunting Pirates group.
- Mary Reade – one of the most famous pirate-themed names for girls based on the 18th-century buccaneer.
- Maureen – a particularly Irish diminutive for Mary, meaning “star of the sea.”
- Melody – means “music” or “song” in Greek, when pirate crew members break out in song.
- Meredith – an Old Welsh name meaning “sea lord” or “protector of the sea.”
- Mina – a short form of Miriam and Wilhelmina, meaning “love” in French.
- Miracle – means “wonder” and “marvel” in Latin when women pirates save the day.
- Morag – one of many M female names meaning “star of the sea” in Latin.
- Morgana – a Welsh girl’s name meaning “circling sea” or “bright sea dweller.”
- Nerine – means “sea nymph” in Greek, after the Nereids of Greek mythology who protected sailors.
- Nerissa – means “sea nymph” in Greek for the cutest family-approved pirate names for kids.
- Nerita – means “sea snail” in Spanish, while Neri alone means “burning light” or “ocean spirit.”
- Pasha – a Russian unisex form of the Latin Paul, meaning “small.”
- Pearl – a gemstone representing loyalty; a top find for the best pirate girls!
- Piper – referring to any “pipe player” or “flute player” who sounds the alarm with her notes.
- Pirate Queen – a royal title and nickname for the 15th-century pirate Grace O’Malley.
- Portia – means “an offering” in Latin, a favorite name for Shakespeare characters.
- Princess Penelope – a children’s book character, Penelope the Pirate Princess.
- Queen Anne – the pirate ship Queen Anne’s Revenge belonged to Blackbeard himself!
- Queenie – an adorable way to honor Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen of Ireland.
- Regina – the Latin title for “queen,” when she is the captain of her pirate ship.
- Ruby – one of the boldest gems and a pirate treasure symbolizing passion.
- Rue – based on the common Rue herb, meaning “regret” and “friends.”
- Ruthless Ruthie – a variation of Ruth, meaning “friend” in Hebrew combined with some ruthlessness.
- Sadie – for Sadie Farrell, called Sadie the Goat, a 19th-century New York river pirate.
- Sally – a female pirate in the Land of Stories Wiki called Starboardia.
- Sandie – a diminutive for Sandra and Alexandra, meaning “man’s defender.”
- Sayyida – inspired by a 16th-century Moroccan governor and a pirate called al-Sayyida al-Hurra.
- Scarlett – a red-haired character in Pirates of the Caribbean known as the “redhead.”
- Skully – a pirate’s parrot in Disney’s Jake and the Never Land Pirates.
- Syrena – the Spanish and Italian word for “mermaid,” to distract the pirate ship.
- Tia – for Tia Dalma, a character in Pirates of the Caribbean.
- Tori – a Japanese girl’s name meaning “bird” and a nickname for Victoria, meaning “victory.”
- Ula – from the Celtic “ula,” meaning “gem of the sea” and short for Ursula, meaning “she-bear.”
- Valerie – means “healthy and strong,” “valiant,” “fierce,” and “brave” for a successful pirate.
- Vivian – derived from the Latin “vivianus,” from “vivus,” meaning “alive” and “lively.”
- Zoe – the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew Eve, meaning “life” and all its adventures.
82 Fun Unisex Pirate Nicknames
Leave all convention behind for these fun pirate nicknames for the most courageous souls.
- Admiral – a more specific term for a ship’s captain in the British navy.
- Ahoy – a sailing term to get someone’s attention, as in “Ahoy, matey!”
- Barbossa – for Captain Hector Barbossa, a villain in the Pirates of the Caribbean.
- Barnacle – derived from “barnacle goose,” a big seabird who followed many ships.
- Beno – a nickname for the Latin Benedict, meaning “blessed” or “his son” in Hebrew.
- Birdeye – refers to the amazing point-of-view from above seabirds often have.
- Blackboots – a fun twist on Blackbeard and a character in the Here Comes a Candle book.
- Blackburn – an English surname based on a locale in Lancashire, meaning “dark stream.”
- Black Pearl – inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean: The Black Pearl film.
- Blade – another word for a “knife” or “sword,” like the ones any good pirate has.
- Blaze – the Blaze Dragons are a group of pirates in the One Piece Fan Wiki.
- Bones – to emphasize the notorious skull and crossbones imagery on a Jolly Roger flag.
- Booty – a pirate term for any stolen money, goods, or treasure they seek.
- Bounty – is a sum of money offered for catching pirates or seafaring bandits.
- Brownbeard – when your beard is just shy of black, Brownbeard will work wonders.
- Buccaneer – another word for “pirate,” derived from the English buccaneers, also called “freebooters” or “plunderers.”
- Bucco – a nickname for a buccaneer when there’s not enough time for the whole word.
- Calico – the nickname Calico Jack was used for the 18th-century pirate called John Rackham.
- Cannonball – a leader of interstellar pirates and captain of the Sea Slag in Transformers Wiki.
- Captain – there’s no top dog on a pirate ship other than a sea captain.
- Carouser – a colorful term for anyone who enjoys “riotous drinking” (and singing pirate songs).
- Ching – for Ching Shih, meaning “Cheng’s widow,” a famous Chinese female pirate.
- Cutthroat – part of the title for Cutthroat Island, a 1995 swashbuckler film.
- Dark Marauder – a dark “raider,” or someone who plunders for a living, i.e., a “pillager.”
- Doldrums – an area of the Atlantic Ocean known for their unpredictable weather and storms.
- Dreadful – a one-word example of male pirate names for the “Dread Pirate Roberts.”
- Dreadhead – instead of a Grateful Dead “deadhead,” a Dreadhead is obsessed with pirates.
- Fishy – referring to the plentiful fish in the ocean that pirate names are all about.
- Galen – derived from the Greek “galenos,” meaning “calm,” when cooler heads prevail.
- Golden Pirate – among names for pirates that respect the Golden Age of Piracy, from 1650 to 1726.
- Graveheart – a funny take on Braveheart for all the pirates who saw watery graves.
- Grog – usually rum diluted with water, but any alcoholic beverage a pirate fancies.
- Hawk – for Nathaniel Hawk, aka Blaze, in the Pirates of the Caribbean.
- Hook – inspired by the villainous Captain Hook in the Peter Pan stories.
- Horngold – for Benjamin Hornigold, a late-17th century marauder in the Bahamas.
- Ironbeard – the name of Captain Ironbeard of the Parabellum pirate ship among “space pirates.”
- Kidd – to honor Captain William Kidd, a famous 17th-century Scottish pirate.
- Landlubber – an offhanded joke for a pirate who’s not very good at sailing the seas.
- Longblade – another way to refer to a “long sword,” a deadly weapon most pirates loved.
- Low – for Edward “Ned” Low, one of the last Golden-Age pirates of the 18th-century.
- Mad Monk – a nickname for Rasputin and a character in the One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 Wiki.
- Matey – a diminutive form of “mate,” used by the English to mean “friend.”
- Mayflower – honoring the famous ship that sailed for the Americas in the 17th-century.
- Mizuko – means “water child” in Japanese, the kind of pirate names for kids they’ll love.
- Nerina – means “sea nymph” in Spanish and is also an Australian-Aborigine word for “water lily.”
- Nigesa – an African name meaning “born in the harvest season” and “where land meets water.”
- One-eyed Jack – an undead pirate captain of The Flying Dutchman in the Alone in the Dark game.
- Onyx – means “claw” in Latin and a striking black stone associated with bad luck.
- Patchy – a cute nickname for any pirate with a traditional eye patch on.
- Pegleg – a person with one leg, referring to a pirate with a wooden leg.
- Pirate – the ultimate in pirate-themed names for the greatest of buccaneers.
- Plankwalker – something you’d call someone who was forced to walk the ship’s plank.
- Plunder – the verb referring to a pirate who discovers, steals, and grabs any treasure he can.
- Poop Deck – from the French “la poupe,” meaning “stern” for an elevated part of a ship.
- Quint – a pirate-like character in the movie Jaws who hunts sharks in the ocean.
- Random – a word for any unique surprises you’ll find as a pirate.
- Redbeard – the meaning for Barbarossa, a Barbary pirate of the Ottoman fleet.
- Rum – a pirate’s favorite booze and usually the key ingredient to any grog.
- Rumrunner – a term coined during Prohibition when sailors brought illegal spirits back from the Caribbean.
- Rune – derived from the Old Norse “rún,” meaning “secret,” for Viking-inspired male pirate names.
- Sailor – the German word meaning “boat person” or “seafarer.”
- Salty – when time is spent sailing the ocean, the salty water is sure to surround you.
- Scallywag – a derogatory term an experienced pirate might call one just starting out.
- Scurvy – a pirate’s worst fear and a disease many sailors experienced due to a vitamin C deficiency.
- Scuttlebutt – a nautical term for the cask holding water on a ship and slang for gossip.
- Seadog – a slang term for an older or very experienced sailor.
- Searanger – a trained professional who monitors the seas surrounding a country for its government.
- Seaweed – another word for algae, which encompasses any green plants growing in the water.
- Shark – you can’t beat a pirate named after the most feared creature in the ocean.
- Silvertongue – the name of a cursed sword in the Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki.
- Sinker – a character in the Disney animated series Jake and the Never Land Pirates.
- Sirene – creatures in Greek mythology who lured sailors to their death with their beautiful voices.
- Skipper – a casual term for the captain of any ship, be it pirate or not.
- Smoky – for Captain Hearst or Ol’ Smoky, in the DnD Caribbean and Seven Seas.
- Steelbeard – the pirate character of Captain Gregorius Emanuel Steelbeard appears in the Risen Wiki.
- Stormy – based on the English “storm,” meaning “tempest,” for someone who loves bad weather.
- Sultan – means “strength,” “authority,” and “rulership” in Arabic as a leader’s title.
- Swashbuckler – another word for a pirate or anyone who loves “daring adventures.”
- Teuta – an Albanian woman’s name for Queen Teuta of the Illyrians, a badass pirate queen.
- Umiko – a Japanese name for a “child of the sea” who’s learning to be a pirate.
- Whitebeard – inspired by Edward Newgate, one of the Whitebeard pirates in the One Piece Wiki.
- Yellowbeard – a 1983 comedy film about the pirate Yellowbeard who plunders the Spanish Main.