Deciding what boat you want to buy can be tough, but sometimes deciding what to NAME that new boat is an even tougher decision. For some boaters, naming your boat can be one of the most difficult decisions a boater must face.
You may be faced with a shiny white transom just awaiting its first boat name, or you have just bought a used boat emblazoned with something crazy that you can’t wait to replace (yes, it happened to us with “Lazy Bear” our first boat!).
You want to pick that ideal boat name for your boat… but how do you choose? Do you pick something funny with a cute boating pun? Or do you choose a name that has a personal story behind it?
Whatever your boat naming strategy, reviewing a list of popular boat names can help you get started with choosing a boat name.
It may be possible you’ll see the perfect name on this list… or it might help you steer clear of popular names so you can pick one more original. Hopefully it will at least help ignite some ideas for creative boat names you might want to choose for your boat.
Most Popular Boat Names
Each year Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) releases its annual top ten boat name list based on their boat graphics data from the previous year. They also have over two decades of top ten boat name lists and over 9,000 names in its online Boat Name Directory with A-Z options and photos.
See how their latest top 10 most popular boat names for 2018 compares to top boat names for 2016, 2015 and 2014.
(note: their 2018 list is based on 2017 data… their “2016 list” was released in 2017 based on 2016 data – so it may seem like they skipped a year but they did not).
2018 – Top 10 Popular Boat Names
1. Grace
2. Freedom
3. Seas the Day
4. Therapy
5. Second Wind
6. Serenity
7. Perseverance
8. Rum Runner
9. Knot on Call
10. Pura Vida
2016 – Top 10 Popular Boat Names
1. Happy Ours
2. Freedom
3. Grace
4. Serendipity
5. Island Time
6. No Regrets
7. Liberty
8. At Last
9. Blue Moon
10. Aqua holic
2015 – Top 10 Popular Boat Names
1. Serenity
2. Seas the Day
3. Andiamo
4. Aquaholic
5. Second Wind
6. Island Time
7. Happy Ours
8. Journey
9. Serendipity
10. Relentless
2014 – Top 10 Popular Boat Names
1. Serenity
2. Second Wind
3. Island Girl
4. Freedom
5. Pura-Vida
6. Andiamo
7. Island Time
8. Irish Wake
9. Happy Hours
10. Seas the Day
When you compare previous years, you definitely see that there are certain boat names like Serenity, Happy Hours and Second Wind that consistently appear on the top boat name lists. However, 2018 seemed to have a few new ones like Knot on Call and Perseverance.
Top Funny Boat Names
BoatUS also released a bonus list in 2018 of what they thought were some of the funniest boat names by editors at BoatUS Magazine:
1. Shenanigans – Good or bad, they’re obviously up to something.
2. Reel Nauti – The ultimate play on words in the marine dictionary.
3. Flounder Pounder – Let’s see the proof, buddy!
4. Kale Yeah – Clearly owned by a proud health nut.
5. Shaken Not Stirred – They know what we like!
6. Ship Happens – We can all relate to this one, can’t we?
7. Bite Me – Ferocious on land – on the water, too?
8. Mojo Risin’ – Stepping onto that boat instantly increases any boater’s mojo.
9. Jolly Toots – Not quite sure what this means, but it’s fun to say!
10. Penny Pincher – Someone may have named his or her boat too quickly after buying it.
Whatever you choose, I think your boat names should be a personal expression – it should speak to you as your personal mantra, a play on words that expresses your attitude in life. And if you buy a boat that does has “Lazy Bear” emblazoned on the stern… you may just want to start thinking fast about your next boat name!
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