Why Is It Called Pickleball?

Pickleball was reportedly named after a dog named Pickles, owned by one of the sport's co-founders, who would chase down stray balls during early games. A competing account credits the term to "pickle boat," a rowing term for a boat crewed by leftover oarsmen, used to describe the mix of borrowed equipment and rules in the game's earliest days. Both stories are widely repeated, and there's no single, universally verified origin.

The Dog Story

The most commonly told version traces back to the family of one of pickleball's co-founders in the mid-1960s. According to this account, the family's dog, Pickles, would run off with the ball during games on the family's badminton court, and the name stuck as a playful nod to the dog's antics. This version has become the most widely circulated explanation among players and in popular media coverage of the sport's history.

The Pickle Boat Story

A second account, sometimes cited by family members involved in the sport's founding, traces the name to "pickle boat" — a rowing term referring to a boat assembled from the leftover rowers not selected for other crews. The idea is that the new game was likewise cobbled together from a mix of existing equipment and rules borrowed from badminton, table tennis, and tennis, similar to how a pickle boat crew was assembled from what was left over.

Note

Both origin stories have been told by people connected to the sport's founding family over the years, and there isn't a definitive, universally agreed-upon answer. Most modern sources present both explanations side by side rather than declaring one definitively correct.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was pickleball really named after a dog?

This is one of the two most commonly told origin stories, and it's widely repeated in popular accounts of the sport's history. However, the "pickle boat" rowing explanation is also frequently cited, and there's no single confirmed answer.

Does the name have anything to do with actual pickles (the food)?

No — neither commonly told origin story relates to the food. The name comes either from a dog named Pickles or from the "pickle boat" rowing term, depending on which account you go by.