How Did Pickleball Get Its Name? Pickle Boat vs Dog
How did pickleball get its name? The Pritchard family and USA Pickleball say Joan Pritchard named it in 1965 after the "pickle boat" in rowing, a crew made of leftover rowers. A rival story credits the family dog, Pickles, but USA Pickleball reports the dog was born in 1968, three years after the game was named.
This page covers only the name: three stories, who told each, and what the records add. The dates of the game's first years are in the pickleball history.
The pickle boat story
In crew racing, a pickle boat is a crew of the rowers who didn't make the main races, and they race each other for fun. USA Pickleball says those leftover-oarsmen races date back to at least 1938.
Joan Pritchard grew up in Marietta, Ohio, and went to Marietta College, which had a strong crew program. Later she cheered at University of Washington regattas. USA Pickleball says she came up with the name within days of the first game, in summer 1965. Her son Frank recalls hearing her say "pickle ball" on the court that first summer.
Joan told it herself in a 2008 newspaper column, as HistoryLink reports. The game borrowed from other sports, so it reminded her of a boat full of leftovers. It was made of leftovers too: a badminton court, ping-pong paddles and a plastic ball.
The dog story
The other story says the game was named for the Pritchards' dog, Pickles. USA Pickleball says a few neighbors later claimed they were in the room when Joan named the game after the dog.
USA Pickleball also says where that story came from. Between 1969 and the early 1970s, Joel Pritchard was interviewed by a reporter from a national publication. He gave the pickle boat answer, then suggested the dog as a cuter story. The reporter agreed. USA Pickleball quotes Frank Pritchard saying his father later admitted in other interviews that the game wasn't named for the dog, while Barney McCallum held to the dog version to the end of his life.
USA Pickleball hasn't always put it this way. Its older history page, archived in 2018, listed the boat and the dog side by side and said accounts differ. The 2020 article took a side after checking when the dog was born.
Joan's column says the dog arrived two years after the game and was named for the game. Her column dates the game to summer 1966, so that also lands on 1968.
A third story: "in a pickle"
HistoryLink reports a third account. It says McCallum claimed the name came from telling his opponents "I've got you in a pickle", and it cites a 1979 Seattle Times article. Wikipedia's etymology section says a 2018 history book by Jennifer Lucore and Beverly Youngren credits that version to Bill Bell, and that the authors couldn't settle dog against pickle boat.
So the sources give McCallum two different accounts, and one gives the pickle line to Bell. This page can't settle that. HistoryLink also quotes Joel Pritchard saying they just needed a "nutty name".
What the records show
| Account | Who told it, and the earliest telling we found | What supports or contradicts it |
|---|---|---|
| Pickle boat | Joan Pritchard, in her 2008 column (USA Pickleball 2020, HistoryLink) | Told by the person credited. Fits a game built from leftover gear. |
| Dog named Pickles | Neighbors, the press and McCallum. Joel Pritchard offered it to a reporter between 1969 and the early 1970s (USA Pickleball 2020, Washington State Magazine) | USA Pickleball's research puts the dog's birth in 1968, after the name. Joel Pritchard later said otherwise. |
| In a pickle | McCallum (HistoryLink, citing a 1979 Seattle Times article) or Bell (Wikipedia, citing the 2018 book) | Sources disagree on who. No record settles it. |
Here's a 30-second check of the dog story. HistoryLink says Pickle Ball Inc. filed its articles of incorporation with Washington State on 13 February 1968, and it gives the state record as its source. USA Pickleball dates the puppy to the summer of 1968. So the order is name, filing, dog.
Two caveats. The dog's birth date comes from the family and USA Pickleball's own research, not a public record. And the 1965 naming itself has no document, only later tellings. If the dog's date holds, the filing shows the name existed before the dog did. It doesn't show who thought of it.
Is a pickleball just a Wiffle ball?
No, though the first game used a perforated plastic ball. USA Pickleball says it came from a toy bat-and-ball set, and other accounts say a whiffle ball. Today's ball is made to a standard. It must be 2.87 to 2.97 inches wide and have 26 to 40 holes (Equipment Standards Manual 2.D.3 and 2.D.8). The rulebook lets any approved ball be used indoors or out (Rule 3.C.1). The indoor vs outdoor balls page has the rest, and pickleball vs Wiffle ball compares the holes and approval row by row.
Next time someone tells you the dog story, ask when the dog was born. Then show them the February 1968 filing.
The word "kitchen" is a separate question, covered in the kitchen article. The terms glossary explains other words you'll hear on court, the rules page covers how it's played, and you can try it in a free game against the computer.