Red Lion is the most popular name for a pub in the UK
IF you went for a post-lockdown pint anywhere in Britain, the chances are it was in a pub called The Red Lion.
That’s because data shows there are more pubs bearing that name than any other.
In fact, there are 547 pubs across the UK called The Red Lion, according to pub listings site, Pubs Galore, which tracks a number of statistics related to the industry
Next most popular pub name is The Crown, with 491, and then Royal Oak with 426.
There are also 313 White Harts, 293 Ploughs, 286 Swans, 285 Railways, 281 White Horses, 243 Kings Arms, and 242 pubs called The Ship. This includes pubs which are better known as an inn, hotel, pub, tavern, bar or public house, or simply include the article “the” in their names, such as The Vine Inn, for example.
The naming of pubs first became common around the 12 century - a time when few of the regulars who frequented them could read the words on the signs outside.
It then became law for pubs and inns to have a sign to identify them in 1393, during the reign of King Richard II.
Many adopted the name “White Hart” which was the personal badge of the king.
The Red Lion is probably the most popular pub name in Britain today because of a royal decree, issued more than 400 years ago.
It is thought to date back to the late Middle Ages, when King James VI of Scotland was also crowned King James I of England.
Following his coronation in 1406, he ordered the red lion of Scotland to be displayed on all important public buildings - which of course included inns and taverns.
But many pub names have royal links.
Apart from the Crown, obviously, the name “White Lion” dates back to the War of the Roses and King Edward IV, who carried a white lion in his coat of arms.
The Royal Oak, meanwhile, is said to date back to the English Civil War. After the future King Charles II was defeated in the Battle of Worcester in 1651, he managed to escape the Roundheads by hiding in an oak tree in Bishops Wood in Staffordshire.
The Red Lion is probably the most popular pub name in Britain today because of a royal decree, issued more than 400 years ago..
The top pub names are (including how many there are):
Red Lion 548
Crown 491
Royal Oak 426
White Hart 314
Plough 293
Swan 287
Railway 285
White Horse 281
Kings Arms 243
Ship 241