In England the pubs have really interesting names. How is a pub named?

Answer 1

Pauline,
You seem to have many splendid answers already, so I just throw into the ring the name of my local, the "Pig & Whistle".
That stems from the pigoen and wassail.
A pigoen (not the bird) is the big serving jug the beer arrived in, and the wassail the mug from which it was drank.
There is an Olde English song which goes "We shalll go
a-wassailing".
One of the older names, so I find it dismaying when techno-pub
massive breweries come up with stuff such as the "Firkin Codpiece" or some such nonesense
The "Rose & Crown" is the most listed name, again for historic reasons, and the Tryppe to Jerusalem, built into Nottinghams' castle caves comes from the folks stopping for a pint or ten on the way to the Holy Wars.
"The Case is Altered", a pub near me, comes from "cassa alta",
or house on the hill.
Fascinating stuff, and plenty of books on the subject.
Bob.

Answer 2

I think the older pubs names had more of a meaning than the recent pubs....they were based on location, or to honour the king or queen, don't know if there were specific ways in which a pub was named.

Recent ones use a bit more humour and weird names so people recognise their pubs......one I saw in Scotland I think was the ferret and the trouser leg....I thought that was a great name!! The pubs under the toad chain (if it still exists) are named after what the building was before, like the toad in the bank (the building was a bank before it became a pub) good ploy i think, keeping some history alive

Answer 3

Old pub's names are legion and have many different meanings, not always aparent.
The "Goat & Compasses" may well be depicted on the sign as some form of Goat and a pair of compasses but the original name would have been "God encompasses uth" The "Trip to Jeruslam" in Nottingham celebrates the raising of troops there for the 2nd. Crusade around 1160 AD. Many pubs are named after the local landowners in the area: eg "The Rocke Arms" in Clungunford, Shropshire. Some celebrate events which took place nearby like the "Flying Horse" again in Nottingham, which refers to the Carousels in the Goose Fair which was held very near until relevantly recent times. The "Crown & Two Chairmen" in London's Soho refers to the bearers of sedan chairs in Jacobean and Georgian times...I could go on for ever.

Answer 4

its mummy and daddy, sit around arguing for ages then all of a sudden they agree a name, they then go down to the registry office and register it, then the go see the vicar, the priest, or head man of what ever religion they have and if chirstian they christen it, this is great and as its a pub there is plenty of drinking to celebrate. Sometimes mummy and daddy pick the name of a relative but that often upsets other relatives who's names are not used. Thats why you dont often see a pub called antie jills, but you may see one called uncle toms, or the old goat( after the mother in law) The Nags Head, is when the pub is named after mummy. Where as the Dun Roamin is named after dad promises to be faithful.

Answer 5

From Wikipedia:
"The Names of Public Houses have a story behind them. As many public houses are centuries old, many of their early customers were illiterate, and pictorial signs could be recognised when words could not be read. Modern names are often little more than a marketing ploy frequently using a comic theme thought to be memorable - Slug and Lettuce being an example."

All older pub names derive from the pictures on the pub sign.

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Jen
http://www.naturalisagenix.com

Answer 6

Nowadays, the Marketing managers at the brewery probably do it.

Before that it was likely that they took a traditional pub name.

Before that they took a name to honour the king or queen or a proffesion or a name that related to the area the pub was in.

Answer 7

The pub's name comes from the wherabouts they are. In kenilworth there is a "Queen and Castle" this pub is right next to a castle where queen Elizabeth 1 used to visit quite often.

Answer 8

you will find really old pubs and pub names all around places like Portsmouth..the lord nelson..the victory etc etc(self explanatory)..but if you really like old pubs take the ferry to gosport the pubs are tiled on the outside and still retain smoked glass windows,terracotta tiled floors etc...tons of old names too..rose and crown royal oak etc etc rose(of England )and crown of England...royal oak the royal oaks of England ,but can also be explained as being named after royal navy ships etc..its a fantastic journey but give the wife the car keys..because every pub you go in you have to buy a pint..(tradition)

Answer 9

at the beginning of the last centuary there where 100 thousands public houses in england .sadly most of them have dissapeared .now people at one time could only travel seven miles in one day .thats the distance they could travel before they had to return..the most common pub name is the red lion.they lived within the community they worked their and very likely they died there..most pubs are named after occupations places famous people or events..

Answer 10

the landlord fills one bag with words of local professions and another bag with pieces of the anatomy. then you get a pub name. for example, the farmer's arm, the butcher's groin, etc. etc.