Fantasy Ship Name Generator
Names for pirate ships, warships, merchant vessels, mythic ships and airships.
Ship Names
Related Name Generators
This fantasy ship name generator makes names for pirate ships, warships, merchant vessels, legendary ships and airships. Each kind of ship is named by different people for a different reason, so the styles are kept apart: a pirate ship carries a threat, a warship a virtue, and a trading ship a hope of getting home. Choose the kind of vessel and generate.
Five Kinds of Ship Name
| Kind of ship | How it is named | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Pirate ship | A threat, a grudge or a dark joke | Widow's Revenge, The Grinning Raven |
| Warship | A virtue, or the crown it serves | The Resolute, Queen's Honour |
| Merchant ship | A woman's name, a home port or good luck | Fair Margaret, Maid of Saltmere |
| Mythic ship | Sea monsters, storms and stars | Leviathan's Wake, The Wandering Star |
| Airship | Wind, cloud and sky | Gale Runner, The Skylark |
The difference is useful at the table. When players sight a sail, the name alone can tell them what they are dealing with: nobody mistakes the Hangman's Folly for a grain carrier.
Real Ships Behind the Styles
| Ship | Captain or navy | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Anne's Revenge | Blackbeard | A captured French ship, La Concorde, renamed |
| Royal Fortune | Bartholomew Roberts | He gave the same name to several ships in turn |
| Whydah | Samuel Bellamy | Wrecked off Cape Cod in 1717 |
| Golden Hind | Francis Drake | Renamed from the Pelican during his circumnavigation |
| HMS Victory | Royal Navy | Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar in 1805 |
Navies have always preferred abstract names, and the Royal Navy hands them down: there have been several ships each called Victory, Dreadnought and Ark Royal. Merchant owners named ships for wives, daughters and home towns, or simply for the outcome they hoped for. The prefix HMS stands for His or Her Majesty's Ship, and a fantasy kingdom can invent its own in the same way.
Naming the Rest of the Voyage
A ship needs a crew and a destination. The Pirate Name Generator makes captains, quartermasters and crew with nicknames, the Island Name Generator gives them somewhere to hide, and for a vessel that leaves the sea altogether there is the Space Station Name Generator.
How to Use the Fantasy Ship Name Generator
- Choose the kind of ship: Pick pirate ship, warship, merchant ship, mythic or airship. Each follows a different naming habit.
- Generate: Each press gives six new ship names in that style.
- Copy: Use the copy button beside the name you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a good pirate ship name?
A threat, a grudge or a dark joke. Real pirate ships were called Queen Anne's Revenge, Royal Fortune and Fancy. A pirate name should tell a merchant captain what kind of crew is coming, so names built on revenge, luck and the gallows work well.
How are warships named?
By tradition, with a virtue or a boast. The Royal Navy has used names such as Victory, Dreadnought, Warspite and Invincible for centuries, and reuses a name when a ship is retired. A fantasy navy can do the same, or name ships for the crown they serve, as in King's Judgement.
Is it bad luck to rename a ship?
Sailors' tradition says so, and the belief is still widely repeated. Pirates ignored it. Blackbeard captured a French ship called La Concorde and renamed her Queen Anne's Revenge, and Francis Drake renamed the Pelican the Golden Hind in the middle of his voyage round the world.
Why is a ship called she?
It is a long-standing custom in English, and no single origin is agreed. Explanations offered include the grammatical gender of the word for ship in other languages and the habit of naming ships after women. Some shipping publications, Lloyd's List among them, now write it instead.
Can I use these names for a D&D campaign?
Yes. The pirate, warship and merchant styles suit any naval adventure, and the mythic style suits a legendary or magical vessel. For settings with flying ships, such as Eberron or Spelljammer, use the airship style.
Should a ship name start with The?
It depends on the name. Descriptive names take it: the Resolute, the Crimson Gull. Possessive names do not: Widow's Revenge, Leviathan's Wake. In writing, ship names are usually set in italics, with the article left out of the italics.