470 Inspiring Bar Names & How to Choose One

Choosing the perfect name for your bar can make or break your business. Whether you’re opening a cozy neighborhood pub or an upscale cocktail lounge, your bar’s name is the first impression potential customers will have of your establishment. We’ve curated 470 bar names across different categories to inspire you in creating the perfect identity for your venue.

Creative Bar Names

Creative bar names capture attention and spark curiosity. These names often incorporate wordplay, clever references, or unique combinations of words:

Alchemy Hour
Barrel & Brush
Copper & Coal
Dapper Fox
Echo & Elm
Frost & Flame
Gather & Grove
Hemingway’s Haven
Iron & Ivy
Juniper & Jazz
Knight & Thistle
Leather & Lace
Marble & Mint
Nightshade & Nectar
Oak & Arrow
Penny & Pearl
Quill & Quarter
Rust & Raven
Salt & Sage
Timber & Torch
Urban & Vine
Velvet & Verse
Whiskey & Wire
Yarn & Yield
Zinc & Zephyr

Catchy Bar Names

These names are designed to be memorable and roll off the tongue easily:

Backbeat
Cascade
Diamond Dogs
Electric Avenue
Fireside
Golden Hour
Honeycomb
Ice House
Jackrabbit
Knockout
Lighthouse
Midnight Mile
Neon Tiger
Orbit Room
Peacock Lounge
Quarter Past
Red Room
Stardust
The Beacon
The Cardinal
The Fox Den
The Haven
The Local
The Vault
Wonderland

Funny Bar Names

Inject some humor into your establishment with these witty names:

Abra Kebabra
Beer Today, Gone Tomorrow
Chalks & Balances
Drink Outside the Box
Evil Olive
Foam Sweet Foam
Gin & Bear It
Hop, Skip & Drunk
I’ll Be Bock
Juice Box Heroes
Krazy Kocktails
License to Chill
Martini & Bikini
No More Mr. Rice Guy
Pour Decisions
Que Syrah Syrah
Rum If You Want To
Sip Happens
Tequila Mockingbird
The Bar Necessities
The Brew Must Go On
The Drunk Tank
The Pour House
Whiskey Business
Wine Not?

Cool Bar Names

These names exude style and sophistication:

Alabaster
Black Pearl
Cobalt
Dusk
Eclipse
Flux
Gravity
Helix
Imperial
Jade Room
Kinetic
Lucid
Mercury
Nova
Obsidian
Phantom
Quartz
Raven
Slate
Tesla
Umbra
Vertex
Warp
X Factor
Zero Hour

Unique Bar Names

Stand out from the crowd with these distinctive names:

Archipelago
Borrowed Time
Cartography
Dreamcatcher
Ephemera
Fogbound
Grimoire
Halcyon
Iconoclast
Jubilee
Kaleidoscope
Labyrinth
Menagerie
Nebula
Octave
Parallax
Quicksilver
Reverie
Sanctuary
Talisman
Umbrage
Vagabond
Watershed
Xenon
Yonder

Professional Bar Names

perfectly designed luxury bar with gold accents

Perfect for upscale establishments and business districts:

Ascent
Blackwood
Carnegie’s
Distinguished
Earnest
Fitzgerald’s
Greenwich
Hamilton’s
Ivory
Jefferson’s
Kensington
Lawrence
Madison’s
Noble
Oxford
Preston
Queens
Regent
Savile
Thompson’s
Union
Vincent’s
Wellington
Xavier’s
Yorkshire

Classic Bar Names

Timeless names that never go out of style:

Anchor & Crown
Britannia
Churchill’s
Drake’s
Eagle & Lion
Fox & Hound
Griffin’s
Heritage
Inn & Out
King’s Head
Lion’s Den
Merchant
Norfolk
Old Bell
Pig & Whistle
Queen’s Arms
Red Lion
Ship & Anchor
Three Crowns
Union Jack
Victoria
White Hart
Winchester
York Arms
Zanzibar

Minimalist Bar Names

Simple, yet powerful names:

Bare
Cask
Draft
Edge
Fifth
Grain
Hemp
Ice
Just
Key
Line
Malt
Next
Open
Pour
Raw
Salt
Tap
Unit
Vine
Wave
X Bar
Yield
Zinc
Zero

One-Word Bar Names

Impactful single-word names for a bar:

Anthem
Beacon
Cipher
Drift
Ember
Fable
Grotto
Harbor
Ivory
Jasper
Kindle
Locus
Mosaic
Nexus
Oasis
Prism
Quest
Relic
Solace
Tempo
Unity
Vigor
Willow
Xeric
Zenith

Rustic Bar Name Ideas

Perfect for countryside and traditional establishments:

Acorn & Oak
Barn & Barrel
Cedar House
Farmhouse
Grain & Mill
Harvest Moon
Iron Horse
Junction
Kindling
Lodge & Lantern
Mill House
North Fork
Old Mill
Pine & Barrel
Quarry House
Rustic Rail
Sawmill
Thresher
Union Mill
Valley Inn
Wagon Wheel
Wood & Stone
Yoke & Barrel
Zinc Mill
Zephyr Ranch

Music Bar Name Ideas

For venues featuring live music and entertainment:

Allegro
Backbeat
Crescendo
Drumline
Echo Chamber
Fortissimo
Groove
Harmony
Interlude
Jazz Cat
Key Change
Lyric
Melody
Notes
Octave
Prelude
Quarter Note
Rhythm
Sonata
Treble
Upbeat
Vivace
Woodwind
Xylophone
Zydeco

Travel Bar Name Ideas

Transport your customers to exotic locations:

Atlas
Boardwalk
Compass
Driftwood
Escapade
Frontier
Galleon
Harbor
Island Time
Journey
Latitude
Meridian
Navigator
Odyssey
Passport
Quest
Roadhouse
Sailor
Traveler
Vagrant
Wanderlust
Waypoint
Expedition
Yacht Club
Zeppelin

Mysterious Bar Name Ideas

Create an air of intrigue and curiosity:

Alibi
Blind Tiger
Clandestine
Dubious
Enigma
Forbidden
Ghost Light
Hidden
Incognito
Jekyll
Kismet
Labyrinth
Mystery
Nocturne
Obscura
Paradox
Quantum
Riddle
Secrets
Twilight
Underground
Vanishing
Whispers
X Files
Zone

Literary Bar Names

Perfect for book lovers and literary enthusiasts:

Bookmark
Chapter One
Dictionary
Epilogue
First Edition
Great Gatsby
Hemingway’s
Inkwell
Library Lounge
Narrative
Novel
Paperback
Quill & Quiver
Reading Room
Storybook
The Archive
The Binding
The Margins
The Paragraph
Typewriter

Sports Bar Names

Ideal for sports-themed establishments:

Baseline
Champions
Dugout
End Zone
First Down
Goal Post
Home Plate
Innings
Jersey’s
Kickoff
League
MVP’s
Overtime
Penalty Box
Playbook
Sideline
Stadium
The Draft Pick
Time Out
Winners Circle

Nature-Inspired Bar Names

Drawing inspiration from the natural world:

Aurora
Cascade
Delta
Earth & Sky
Forest
Garden Gate
Highland
Isle
Lagoon
Mesa
Mountain
Ocean
Prairie
Rapids
Ridge
Spring
Summit
Tides
Valley
Wilderness

Historical Bar Names

Names that evoke a sense of history:

Antique
Baroque
Colonial
Dynasty
Empire
Founders
Heritage Hall
Industrial
Legacy
Merchant’s
Monarchy
Nostalgia
Prohibition
Regal
Renaissance
Royal
Sovereign
Treasury
Vintage
Yesterday’s

Urban Bar Names

loft style bar with brick walls and windows

Modern city-inspired names:

Alley
Boulevard
Corner
District
Exchange
Fifth Ave
Grid
High Rise
Industrial
Junction
Loft
Metro
Neighborhood
Pavement
Quarter
Rooftop
Sidewalk
Terminal
Underground
Village

Seasonal Bar Names Ideas

Names inspired by different times of the year:

Autumn
December
Equinox
Fall Line
Harvest
January’s
July
June Bug
May Flowers
Midwinter
Solstice
Spring Break
Summer House
Sundance
Sunset
The Season
Winterfell
Winter’s Tale
Year Round
Yuletide

Bar Names for Instagram

Modern, social media-friendly names:

Aperture
Blush
Carousel
Darkroom
Filter
Glam
Hashtag
Icon
Junction
Kismet
Lens
Moment
Narrative
Optics
Pixel
Queue
Reel
Snapshot
Tagged
Urban
Vibe
Wander
Xposed
Yellow
Zoom

How Do I Choose a Bar Name?

Selecting the perfect bar name requires careful consideration of several factors:

Consider your target audience and the atmosphere you want to create
Research your local market to ensure uniqueness
Keep it memorable and easy to pronounce
Check domain name and social media handle availability
Verify trademark availability
Test the name with potential customers
Ensure the name ages well and avoids trendy terms
Consider how it looks on signage and marketing materials

FAQ

Should I use my name in my bar’s name?

Using your name can add a personal touch, but ensure it’s memorable and easy to pronounce.

How important is the bar name for success?

While not the only factor, a good name can significantly impact initial customer interest and long-term brand recognition.

Can I change my bar’s name later?

Yes, but it’s not recommended as it can confuse customers and lose brand recognition you’ve built.

Should I consider SEO when naming my bar?

While SEO is important, prioritize creating a memorable name that resonates with your target audience.

Tips for Bar Business Success

Beyond choosing the perfect name, consider these factors for your bar’s success:

Develop a strong brand identity that aligns with your business name
Create a distinctive atmosphere that matches your bar name’s theme
Train staff to embody the spirit of your brand
Use your name as inspiration for signature drinks
Incorporate your name into your marketing strategy
Consider how your name will appear on merchandise

Remember, while the perfect name is important, it’s the experience you create that will keep customers coming back.