Everyone loves pirates, because everyone dreams of the freedom and wealth that comes with it. And pirates need to have good, strong names, so that their reputation will go down in history.
While we often think about European pirates in the Caribbean, you can pull on names from all over the world. Piracy was also rampant in China, India, and especially along the North African coast.
Good Pirate Names
Most pirates start with a normal name from their home country and get nicknames or monikers as they become infamous. Many good pirate names mix regular names with modifiers like “-beard”.
- John Hawkins
- Richard Ingle
- Pieter Ita
- William Jansen
- Zheng Jing
- Cornelius Jol
- Shirahama Kenki
- Lawrence Keymis
Hendrick Lucifer
Died in a scuffle with a treasure fleet in the Caribbean, during which he was shot six times, all the while demanding more loot be seized.
- Arnaut Mami
- Jan Mendoza
- Olivier van Noort
- Roger North
- Amyas Preston
- Walter Raleigh
Assan Reis
After retiring from the Dutch navy, he bought a ship and turned to the coast of the Mediterranean for plunder and profit.
- James Reskinner
- Ben Robins
- Isaac Rochuseen
- George Somers
Female Pirate Names
Though women were sometimes considered bad luck to have on a pirate ship, many ladies proved they were as cunning and cruel as any pirate captain.
- Jeanne de Clisson
- Elise Eskilsdotter
- Grace O’Malley
- Sayyida al Hurra
- Mary Killigrew
- Elizabetha Patrickson
- Jacquotte Delahaye
- Christina Skytte
Anne Dieu-le-Veut
Sent to Tortuga as a prisoner, she organized a mass prison break during which she recruited a new crew of pirates.
- Maria Lindsey
- Anne Bonny
- Mary Read
- Flora Burn
- Rachel Wall
- Margaret Croke
Johanna Hard
A noblewoman who turned to smuggling after falling on hard times, she was arrested after she put a ship to the sword near Copenhagen.
- Sadie Farrell
- Lai Sho Sz’en
- Cheng Chui Ping
- Missee Lee
Male Pirate Names
Pirates would often start as regular sailors employed by European empires, but when legitimate work dried up, they would use their skills to plunder for treasure.
- Filips van Zuylen
- Roche Braziliano
- Vincenzo Alessandri
- Michiel Andrieszoon
- Jean Bart
- Michel le Basque
- Lawrence Prince
- James Browne
Eduardo Blomar
Helped lead a raiding campaign down the coast of the Spanish Main, plundering and torching towns as he went.
- Alexandre Bras-de-Fer
- Nicolas Brigaut
- Manuel Butiens
- Lancelot Blackburne
- Edmund Cooke
- Alexandre Exquemelin
- Philip Fitzgerald
Louis Le Golif
After escaping slavery, he renounced all nationality and embarked on a life of piracy to take revenge on the people that had hurt him.
- Laurens de Graaf
- Henry Holloway
- Daniel Johnson
Funny Pirate Names
Life at sea can get drab, and making up insulting nicknames for fellow crew members is a great way to stave off boredom.
- Bella O’Greed
- Ella Treasures
- Glory Jones
- Janie Big-Mouth
- Nancy Tall-Tide
- Barnacle Bill
- Crimson Seadog
- Finn O’Fish
Lazy-Eye Louie
His namesake eye was burned by a pistol discharging near his face, leaving him with a comically droopy eye.
- Mad Michael
- Old Chipper
- Paddy Sparrow
- Black Jack
- Micky Mudskipper
- Boney Brenda
Betty Tuna-Breath
Though now a famous pirate queen, she started as a lowly fisherwoman who ran away with pirates, who were less than happy with her stench.
- Crazy Kelly
- George Balding
- Edwin Shark-Bait
- Dirty Danny
Even today, most people can list several famous pirates thanks in part to their fearsome reputations and memorable names. Did this article help you find an equally memorable pirate name? Let us know what you think in the comments, and share the article if you enjoyed it.
