Pub names in Great Britain identify traditional drinking establishments. Many pubs are centuries old, from a time when most customers were illiterate but could recognise pub signs or symbolic objects, such as a boot hung outside. Names may be for anything from everyday items to sovereigns and landowners, often represented through coats of arms. Some reflect historic events, occupations, sports, and craftsmen' guilds. Others are rooted in myths and legends, such as the Green Man or local stories like the Moonrakers of Wiltshire.
Names may straightforwardly describe their building or the services offered in addition to serving beer. Several refer to stages in growing barley and in brewing or transporting beer, such as John Barleycorn, the Hop Pole, the Malt Shovel, the Mash Tun, and the Three Barrels. Establishments that served wine might use names like the Spread Eagle, indicating the coat of arms of Germany. Sporting associations appear in names such as the Hare and Hounds or the Bowling Green. Some pub names are literary, referring to books such as Uncle Tom's Cabin or The Hobbit, fictional characters like Sherlock Holmes, or authors including Edgar Wallace.
Many old pubs are named for famous figures or ordinary trades. Several have names intended to be humorous, including the names used by some pub chains. Among the most common pub names are the Red Lion, the Royal Oak, the Crown, and the Swan. Closed pubs are marked †.
Heraldry
Badges
Many pubs have heraldic names, often directly naming the animal or object used as a badge or heraldic charge. Among the most common, both in heraldry and on pub signs, is the Red Lion. As a pub sign, it probably has multiple origins: in the arms or crest of a local landowner; as the personal badge of John of Gaunt, founder of the House of Lancaster; or in the royal arms of Scotland, conjoined to the arms of England after the Stuart succession in 1603. The White Hart was the livery badge of King Richard II of England; it became so popular as an inn sign during his reign that it was adopted by many later inns and taverns. The Blue Boar, the name of many pubs in Westminster, Norwich, Billericay, Maldon, Witney and elsewhere, was the badge of the Earls of Oxford. The White Boar on the other hand was the badge of King Richard III, while the White Horse was for the Hanoverian Kings. King Edward III's badge was the Rising Sun, the name of several pubs and taverns, while the Red Dragon denotes Wales. The Eagle and Child, Oxford, its name derived from the arms of the Earls of Derby, was a meeting place of the Inklings; the name was in 2005 shared by 25 other pubs.
Arms
Names starting with the word "Three" are often based on the arms of a London Livery company or trade guild. Thus the Three Compasses is named for the Worshipful Company of Carpenters. Sometimes the livery company or guild is named directly, as in the Blacksmiths Arms, Bricklayers Arms, Carpenters Arms, Masons Arms, and Saddlers Arms; people in these trades often met in these places. Another old profession recorded in a pub name is the Drover's Inn, Loch Lomond, Scotland, named after the cattle drovers.
History, myth and legend
Many pub names record aspects of history, real or imagined, from specific events to local legends.
Historic events
Several historic events are commemorated in pub names. A few of these, such as the Royal Oak, are extremely common. One or two events, like the Battle of Trafalgar, have resulted in multiple different pub names.
+ Events commemorated in pub names Date Event Pub name, with examples 1095–1291 Crusades Saracen's Head, Turk's Head 1133–1855 Bartholomew Fair Hand and Shears: tailors would gather in the pub the night before the fair and wave their shears announcing that the fair should begin 1215 Magna Carta Magna Charta, Lowdham, Nottinghamshire 1485 Wars of the Roses Rose and Crown: Edward III used a golden rose as a personal badge, and two of his sons adapted it by changing the colour: John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, used a red rose, and Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, used a white rose. In 1485, at the Battle of Bosworth Field, Henry Tudor, a descendant of Lancaster, defeated Richard III of the York dynasty and married Richard's niece Elizabeth of York. Since then, the combined red-and-white Tudor rose, often crowned, has been a symbol of the monarchy of England. 1651 Escape of Prince Charles in the English Civil War As many as 467 pubs named Royal Oak; the prince hid in the Boscobel Oak. 1759 Battle of Minden The Battle of Minden, Portsmouth, Hampshire † 1805 Battle of Trafalgar The Trafalgar, Wimbledon Chase. The area once had several pubs whose names recalled the battle, its victor Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (the Nelson Arms), his ship HMS Victory, and his mistress Emma Hamilton: she and Nelson had a house at Merton Place. All are now closed except the Kiss Me Hardy in Colliers Wood. 1815 Battle of Waterloo Waterloo Inn, Biggin-by-Hartington among others 1826 Siege of Bharatpur Bhurtpore Inn, Aston, Cheshire. The Inn is on land that was part of the estates of Lord Combermere, commander of British forces during the siege. 1936 Abdication of Edward VIII The Abdication, Arnold, Nottinghamshire 1969 First human moon landing Man on the Moon, Northfield, Birmingham: originally called The Man in the Moon and renamed on the day of the first Moon landing
Religion
The amount of religious symbolism in pub names decreased after Henry VIII's break from the church of Rome. For instance, many pubs originally called the Pope's Head were renamed to the less contentious King's Head. Publicans sometimes changed the names of their premises to something close to the original Catholic meaning, so the St Peter could be renamed to the Crossed Keys (that the saint holds, to the gates of heaven), or the Ark could be called the Ship.
Among the surviving religious references, the Lion and Lamb, Pennington, Hampshire, is named from St Augustine's usage, where the lion represents the resurrection of Christ, and the lamb denotes Christ's sacrifice. The Shaven Crown, at Shipton-under-Wychwood, once belonged to the monks of Bruern Abbey. The Cardinal's Hat, Harleston, Norfolk was an inn from at least 1591.
Myths and legends
Several pub names commemorate English myths and legends.
+ Pubs named for myths and legends Pub Origins Black Bess Several pubs, usually named after the legendary overnight ride from London to York in 1737 by Dick Turpin on his mare, Black Bess. Brazen George Inn, Cambridge † Named after England's patron saint, St. George. The Bucket of Blood, Hayle, Cornwall Owned by St Austell Brewery; named after a supposed incident where the landlord brought up a bucket of blood from the building's well, as a murdered smuggler had been dropped there. Fiddler's Green Fiddler's Green is a legendary place in the afterlife where existence consists of all leisure and no work; in the 19th century, specifically for sailors. George and Dragon Over 100 pubs (as of 2025), named for St George, patron saint of England, and his conflict with a dragon. Green Dragon Several pubs, named for dragons. Green Man A name used for many pubs, from folklore of the Green Man and the image of the Wild Man. Moonrakers A Wiltshire folk story holds that Moonrakers comes from the time when smuggling was common in the region. Robin Hood Several pubs named for Robin Hood, the lawless anti-hero of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire Silent Woman, Quiet Lady or Headless Woman Of uncertain origin, with various local stories, such as a landlady whose tongue was cut out by smugglers so she couldn't talk to the authorities, or a saint beheaded for her Christianity. The pub signs sometimes have an image of a decapitated woman or the couplet: "Here is a woman who has lost her head / She's quiet now—you see she's dead".
Historic opinions
All Labour In Vain or Labour In Vain is a pub name probably of Biblical origins. The name was formerly often illustrated by a person trying to scrub the blackness off a black child. Such signs have been mostly replaced with more innocuous depictions of wasted effort. There are numerous old pubs and inns in England named The Black Boy(s), many now claimed to refer either to child chimneysweeps or coal miners, or to a (genuine) historic description of King Charles II. The Black Boy Inn in Caernarfon, North Wales, has received at least a dozen complaints from visitors over the name, which dates back at least 250 years. In 2021 brewer Greene King changed the names of three pubs called The Black Boy, and another called The Black's Head. The Black Bitch, a pub in Linlithgow, West Lothian, is named after the local legend of a black greyhound who is said to have repeatedly swum to an island in the town's loch to bring food to its imprisoned master, only to suffer the same fate when its efforts were discovered. The pub's name has caused more than a few surprised tourists to question the name or decry it as racist.
The pub itself
The pub building
The Hippodrome in March, Isle of Ely was once a cinema. The Hole in the Wall is the name of several very small pubs. One such at Waterloo, London, is spacious but built into a railway viaduct. The Hole in the Wall, Gibraltar was an iconic bar well frequented by the navy workers. The Hundred House Inn, Great Witley originates from when the building was a collecting house for the tithes from districts in the Doddingtree Hundred. The Lattice House, King's Lynn was named for its timbered structure. The Thatched House Tavern, Cambridge is named after the building's roofing. The Three Legged Mare, High Petergate, York is named after the design of a gallows, like the one in the pub's garden; affectionately known as the Wonky Donkey.
Services provided by the pub
Several old pub names describe services (other than serving beer) that were provided by a pub. Checkers or Chequer(s), such as at March, Isle of Ely, harks back to ancient Rome, when a chequer board indicated banking services. The checked board was used as an aid to counting, and is the origin of the word exchequer. The Pewter Platter, Cross Street, Hatton Garden †, identified a pub where meals were served. The Coach & Horses indicated a coaching inn, while the Farriers Arms was a pub with a farrier who could re-shoe the traveller's horses while he relaxed, and the Wheelwrights was a name for a pub where a coach's wheels could be repaired or replaced. Names could also be one-offs, like the Free Press in Cambridge, named for when part of the building was used to print a newspaper.
Food
Some pub names refer to items of food to tempt the hungry traveller. For example, The Baron of Beef in Cambridge refers to a double sirloin joined at the backbone, while the Red Herring, Great Yarmouth is named after a product of the local fishing industry.
Beer
Several pub names allude to the stages of brewing and serving the beer. The Hop Pole names an item used to support hops, that flavour the beer, while the Barley Mow names the process of harvesting the barley that will be fermented into the beer itself. Names of this type may indicate pubs founded as early as the 12th century. The Malt Shovel names a tool used to turn over the soaked barley grain. The Mash Tun names the brewery vessel used to mix grains with water. Three Barrels names containers for beer. The Brewery Tap was a pub on site or adjacent to a brewery; it often showcased its products to visitors.
Many traditional pub names allude to the beer available inside. The Barley Mow is a stack or sheaf of barley, the principal grain from which beer is made. John Barleycorn is a character of English traditional folk music and folklore, similar to a Green Man. He is annually cut down at the ankles, thrashed, but always reappears—an allegory of growth and harvest based on barley.