Why Is It Called Pickleball?

Quick Answer: Why is it called pickleball? Two stories compete. Co-founder Joan Pritchard said the game was named for the pickle boat in crew, the boat crewed by leftover oarsmen. The other version credits the Pritchard family dog, Pickles. The pickle boat account came first, and the dog came later.

The name has almost nothing to do with pickles, which is the first thing that surprises people. It came out of a backyard on Bainbridge Island, Washington, and the two competing explanations have been argued over by the founding families for decades. Here is what each side actually claims.

Who invented pickleball, and when?

Three fathers invented it in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, just across Puget Sound from Seattle. Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum were trying to keep bored kids busy on a summer afternoon. They had a badminton court, no full set of badminton gear, some ping pong paddles, and a perforated plastic ball.

The improvised setup drove the rules that followed:

• The net came down to near waist height because the plastic ball would not carry like a shuttlecock.
• Wooden paddles replaced rackets, since ping pong paddles were what the garage had.
• The non-volley zone arrived to stop the tallest player from camping at the net and ending every point.
• Underhand serving kept rallies alive rather than turning the game into a serving contest.

Every one of those choices came from working with the equipment on hand. If you have ever wondered why the rules feel so homemade, that is why. The same afternoon logic is still visible in the five basic rules of pickleball that beginners learn today.

Why is it called pickleball, according to the pickle boat story?

Joan Pritchard, Joel’s wife, said she named it after the pickle boat. In competitive crew, the pickle boat is the one thrown together from whatever rowers are left over after the top boats are set. She had rowed and knew the term, and she thought a game assembled from mismatched leftover equipment deserved the name.

That story explains the name in a way the dog story never quite does. A game built from badminton court, ping pong paddles, and a plastic ball is a pickle boat in every sense. The founders were not naming it after a food. They were naming it after a scrappy crew of leftovers, which is a much better joke.

Where does the dog named Pickles fit in?

The Pritchard family did have a cocker spaniel named Pickles, and the dog did chase balls around the court. That part is not in dispute. What the families have said since is that the dog arrived after the game already had its name, and that Pickles the dog was named for pickleball rather than the other way around.

The dog version spread because it is simply a better story to tell a kid. A dog stealing the ball is charming. A rowing term for a boat of leftovers requires a paragraph of explanation, which is roughly what this section has just proven.

Which origin story is true?

The pickle boat account has the stronger claim, coming directly from the person who says she coined the name. The dog account has more staying power because it is easier to remember. Both keep circulating, and you will hear either one confidently repeated at open play.

My honest take after hearing both versions from players at the same court on the same morning: nobody at the kitchen line cares which is right, and the argument itself has become part of the sport’s folklore. The name is odd, it stuck, and the oddness is now an asset.

Does the name still fit the game?

Better than it should. Pickleball still runs on borrowed spaces and improvised setups, from taped lines on old tennis courts to portable nets in church parking lots. The leftover-equipment spirit that produced the name is alive every time a group converts a surface that was built for something else.

The sport has kept the rest of its odd vocabulary too. The non-volley zone picked up a nickname the rulebook never used, which is its own naming story worth reading if you want to know why the kitchen is called the kitchen. Shots get named after the players who popularized them, which is how the game ended up with a move called the erne.

FAQ

Why is pickleball called pickleball? Co-founder Joan Pritchard said she named it after the pickle boat in crew, a boat made up of leftover rowers, because the game was assembled from leftover equipment. A competing story credits the family dog, Pickles.

Was pickleball really named after a dog? Probably not. The Pritchards did own a dog named Pickles, but family accounts say the dog came along after the game was named, and that the dog was named for the sport.

Who invented pickleball? Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum invented it in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, while trying to entertain their families on a summer afternoon.

What is a pickle boat in rowing? It is a boat crewed by the rowers left over after the main boats are chosen. The term implies a scrappy, thrown-together lineup, which is exactly what the first pickleball setup was.

Do pickles have anything to do with pickleball? No. Neither origin story involves the food. The name traces to a rowing term or to a dog, depending on which version you believe.

Where was pickleball invented? On Bainbridge Island, Washington, on a badminton court behind Joel Pritchard’s house. The island still treats the sport as a local point of pride.

Why does pickleball have such strange terms? Most of them came from casual play rather than a rulebook committee. Nicknames stuck before official language existed, and the sport kept them as it grew.

Curious enough to go play the game with the odd name? Find a group through our directory of pickleball clubs or check the public courts nearest you, and the governing bodies and associations listed in our directory are where the official history and rules live.

Written by the Pickler Junction Team.