Names on the cut tend to come from four wells: birds (Heron, Kingfisher, Moorhen), weather and water (Mistral, Wanderlust, Ripple), virtues or family names, and puns, a tradition of their own, from Narrow Escape downwards. No category beats another outright. What separates a name you'll still like in ten years from one you'll wince at is whether it survives being said out loud, at a lock, to a stranger, for decades. Short wins over clever. A name tied to a real detail, where the boat was built, a grandparent's name, the first canal you cruised, tends to age better than a joke that was only ever funny once. There's no register requiring uniqueness, so duplicate names exist across the network; it's your boat regardless. Once chosen, the name gets hand-lettered on the cabin side: see what narrowboat signwriting is.
Where the best narrowboat names come from
Naming her is the first job in making her yours, and the traditions behind these four wells are set out in how boats get named. When nothing has stuck after a fortnight, try the narrowboat name generator.
Tests a name should pass.
Say it aloud three ways: shouted across a lock, spoken on the phone to a marina, and spelled out for an insurance form. If you have to explain or spell it each time, it will become tiring. Write it in capitals as well, because that is how it will appear on the cabin side, and check it does not read as something else when the letters run together. Hold it against the space too. Names are lettered on both sides of the cabin and across the stern, so a very long name means smaller letters and a more crowded panel. Finally, ask whether you will still like it when the novelty fades, since a joke that earns a smile on day one can grate by the fiftieth time you introduce yourself with it.
Practical points before you commit.
If the boat already has a name, think carefully before changing it. Many boaters hold that renaming is unlucky, and whatever you believe, a changed name means new lettering and an update to the licence record. A name chosen by two people should be one both can say with a straight face to a lockkeeper. Do not worry about originality for its own sake, since the same favourites appear all over the network, but a small personal twist makes a common name your own. For further inspiration sorted by theme, browse the list of narrowboat names by theme and note which ones keep recurring.