Why Is It Called Pickleball? The Real Story

It’s the first thing almost every new player asks: why is it called pickleball? There’s no pickle involved, so where did the name come from? Here’s the real story.

Where pickleball came from

Pickleball was invented in the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, Washington. Three dads — Joel Pritchard (a future US congressman), Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum — were trying to entertain their bored kids. They cobbled together a game using a badminton court, ping-pong paddles, and a perforated plastic ball, and lowered the net over the weekend. That improvised backyard game became pickleball.

Story #1: the “pickle boat”

According to Joan Pritchard, Joel’s wife, she started calling the game “pickleball” because the mismatched, thrown-together nature of it reminded her of a “pickle boat” — a rowing term for a boat crewed by the leftover oarsmen who didn’t make the main crews. The game was a mix of borrowed equipment from other sports, just like a pickle boat is a mix of leftover rowers. It’s a fitting origin for a sport stitched together from badminton, ping-pong, and tennis.

Story #2: the dog named Pickles

The more charming story is that the sport was named after the Pritchard family dog, Pickles, who would supposedly chase the ball and run off with it. It’s the version many people repeat — but there’s a problem with the timeline.

Which story is true?

Historians and the Pritchard family generally favor the pickle-boat story, for one simple reason: the dog Pickles reportedly didn’t join the family until a couple of years after the game was named. By that account, the dog was actually named after the game, not the other way around. The two stories have blurred together over the decades, but the pickle-boat origin is the one best supported by the timeline.

The name that stuck

Whatever the exact truth, the odd, memorable name did the sport a favor. “Pickleball” is impossible to forget — and as the game grew from a Bainbridge Island backyard into the fastest-growing sport in America, that quirky name became part of its charm.

The 1965 origin story, in full

The setting: Bainbridge Island, Washington, summer 1965. Congressman-to-be Joel Pritchard and businessman Bill Bell came home from golf to find their families bored. The property had an old badminton court but no full set of rackets, so they improvised — ping-pong paddles, a perforated plastic ball, and the badminton net eventually lowered to hip height when they discovered the ball bounced well on asphalt. Neighbor Barney McCallum was pulled in soon after, cutting bigger, sturdier paddles from plywood in his basement (early templates that shaped paddle design for decades). The three families played all summer, wrote down rules with the explicit goal that kids and adults could compete together, and the game spread house to house — then, over the next decade, across the Pacific Northwest via backyard courts and word of mouth.

How the name debate actually unfolded

Both name stories trace to the Pritchard family itself, which is why the debate lasted decades. Joan Pritchard’s account — that “pickleball” came from the “pickle boat,” the rowing term she knew from crew, for a boat filled with leftover oarsmen — was told consistently and matches the timeline: the name was in use by 1965-66. The dog story — Pickles the cockapoo who chased stray balls — became the family’s favorite version to tell reporters because, as the Pritchards themselves later admitted, it made better copy. The catch: Pickles arrived in 1968, two to three years after the game was named, and was in fact named after the game. USA Pickleball’s own historians investigated and sided with the pickle boat. So: boat first, dog second — but the dog gets the fame, which feels very pickleball.

From backyard to fastest-growing sport

The name stuck through every stage of an unlikely rise: first permanent dedicated court (1967, a neighbor’s backyard), incorporation of Pickle-Ball Inc. to sell paddle kits (1972), first known tournament (1976, Tukwila, WA), founding of the national governing body USAPA (1984, now USA Pickleball), inclusion in all 50 states (1990), and then the 2010s-2020s explosion — from a retiree favorite to America’s fastest-growing sport several years running, with tens of millions of players, pro tours, and — sixty years later — a quirky name nobody would dare change. The lesson the founders accidentally taught: a memorable name, simple rules, and a game families can play together beats marketing every time.

➡ Often confused with padel — see pickleball vs. padel.

Frequently asked questions

Why is it called pickleball?

There are two stories. Joan Pritchard said she named it after the “pickle boat” — a rowing term for a boat crewed by leftover rowers — because the game was thrown together from other sports. The other story credits the family dog, Pickles. Historians favor the pickle-boat origin.

Was pickleball named after a dog?

That’s the popular story — a dog named Pickles who chased the ball. But the timeline suggests the dog came along a couple of years after the game was named, meaning the dog was likely named after the sport, not the reverse.

Who invented pickleball?

Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum, who improvised the game to entertain their kids using a badminton court, ping-pong paddles, and a plastic ball.

When was pickleball invented?

In the summer of 1965. The sport grew slowly for decades before exploding in popularity in the 2010s and 2020s to become the fastest-growing sport in the United States.

What is a pickle boat?

A pickle boat is a rowing term for a boat crewed by the leftover oarsmen who weren’t selected for the main crews. Joan Pritchard used it to describe pickleball because the game was a mix of borrowed elements from other sports.

Now go play

Ready to try the sport with the funny name? Start with our complete beginner’s guide and find a court near you in the directory.