Nautical Pet Names

Pet Names With a Nautical Theme

Browse through our lists of terms from life on the sea to find the nautical pet names you’ve been looking for.

These terms will make great pet fish names, but don’t limit yourself to just fish. Why not take on a nautical theme for naming your pet dog, or cat, or hamster?!

Keep an eye out for Deadeye, Flotsam, Bunting Tosser , and my favorite, Boom vang!

Here’s a tip: Some of these terms may sound a little dry by themselves, so try combining them with other words.

For example, Mainsail may not sound very inspiring, but what about:

• Mainsail Jack
• Captain Mainsail
• Doctor Mainsail
• Mainsail Blue

These nautical terms are by no means a complete list. Some of them are no longer in use, some relate to large ships, some to small boats.

Personally, I like to think of them as coming from the mouths of swaggering Pirates and crusty old Salts, swinging through the rigging with the freshening breeze in their hair and a shanty on their lips.

So, strap on a parrot and pull up a bollard. We're away to the sea!

Terms for Nautical Pet Names A to E

Aft – Towards the back end (the stern) of the boat.

Ahoy – A shout used to get attention. For example, “Ahoy there, me Hearties!”

Anchor – A heavy hook shaped weight on a length of chain or heavy rope used to slow or stop a boat drifting.

Athwart – Side to side across the ship.

Avast – Stop what you are doing.

Awash – Describes a boat set low in the water with waves washing over the deck.

Aweigh – Raise the anchor to clear the bottom so the boat can move again.

Aye, aye – Response from crew to confirm they have heard and understood orders.

Azimuth – A navigational term. The horizontal angle or direction of a compass bearing.

Baggywrinkle – Padding on items that come into contact with the sails to prevent chafing and wear.

Barrelman – The crew member on duty in the crow's nest.

Beacon – A navigation marker set on the coastline or waters edge. Sometimes set with a light.

Beam – The widest part of the ship.

Bear – A stone used to scrape down and clean the deck.

Beaufort Scale – A scale to measure the strength of the wind.

Belay – To tie off a rope.

Bilge – The lowest part of a boat where water collects.

Bimini – The canvas weather cover above the cockpit.

Binnacle – The stand that holds the ship's compass.

Bitts– Posts used for tying off ropes along the ship's bow.

Boatswain (or bosun) – The officer in charge of the sails, ropes and boats on a ship.

Bobstay – A tensioning point for controlling stretching in the sails.

Bollard – A short, squat heavy pole on the quay that can be used for tying off a ship (making fast).

Boom – A long pole at the base of a sail that allows it to pivot and swing fore and aft.

Boom vang – Guy-ropes running from the end of the boom to the deck to control the sail.

Bottomry – Where a ship is put up as security for a loan.

Buoy – A floating navigation aid.

Bow – The front of a ship.

Bridge – The superstructure on a ship from which the captain and officers direct operations.

Buffer – A nickname for the chief bosun’s assistant, usually in charge of discipline.

Bulkhead – Load bearing walls inside the structure of the ship.

Bulwark – The side of the ship where it extends above the deck like a fence.

Boomkin – A spar at the stern used for tying off or making fast sails.

Buntline – Lines attached to a sail and used for tying it up out of the way when it isn’t in use.

Bunting Tosser – A nickname for the crew member in charge of flying signal flags.

Cable – A heavy duty rope.

Capstan – A large wheel on a vertical axis used for winching in the anchor.

Chain-wale – A broad, thick plank projecting horizontally from a ship's side abreast of a mast. Used to widen the base for the shrouds, which supports the mast.

Cheeks - Wooden blocks at the side of a spar or gun.

Chine – Describes a sharp angle in the hull.

Chock-a-block – Describes rigging blocks that have been fully tightened against one another.

Cleat – A tying off point for ropes.

Clench – Join two planks together.

Clew – The lower corner of a sail.

Coaming – The raised edge of openings in the deck such as the hatch, or skylight. Having a raised edge helps to keep out water.

Compass – A navigational instrument that shows magnetic north and bearings from it. It can also be a device with moveable legs that is used to take measurements and draw circles.

Corrector – The name of a device used to correct the ship's compass.

Coxswain (or cockswain) – The crew member steering the boat.

Cringle – A reinforced hole in the corners of sails where ropes can be fixed or looped through.

Cro’jack (or crossjack) – A support used to spread the foot of a topsail when not in use.

Daggerboard – A vertical centerboard lowered through a ship’s keel to improve stability.

Davy Jones’ Locker – An alternate expression for the sea bottom.

Daybeacon – A navigational structure made to be visible during the day.

Deadeye – A wooden block threaded through with ropes used to adjust the tension in the rigging of large sailing vessels.

Deadrise – The angle described by the keel and a horizontal point.

Deadwood – The centerline structure of a boat.

Decks – The structural surfaces of the ship.

Derrick – A small crane made of a mast or pole and a boom rotating at the base.

Draft – The depth of a ship's keel below the waterline.

Dunnage – Personal baggage on board or packing around a ship’s cargo.

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