Pirate Flag Meanings: The Jolly Roger and Its Symbols
Nov 7, 2026 · The Editors
What pirate flags meant: the Jolly Roger, black flags and red flags, skulls, crossbones, cutlasses, hourglasses and bleeding hearts, the flags of famous pirates, and what a pirate flag means today.
A pirate flag was a message, and a simple one: surrender. Pirates of the "golden age" — roughly 1650 to 1730 — did not want to fight. A fight damaged the ship they hoped to take and cost them men. A frightening flag that made a merchant crew give up without a shot was worth more than any cannon.
The Jolly Roger
Jolly Roger is the name for any pirate flag with a skull or skeleton. The origin of the name is uncertain. One theory says it comes from the French joli rouge, "pretty red", for the red flag; another that "Old Roger" was a nickname for the Devil. Nobody knows.
Black flag or red flag
- The black flag was a warning and an offer: surrender, and you will be spared.
- The red flag — or a black flag replaced by a red one — meant no quarter: resist, and nobody will be spared.
Pirates usually sailed under a false or national flag until they were close, then raised the black. A crew that saw it had a few minutes to decide.
The symbols
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Skull | Death |
| Crossbones | Death — and the grave |
| Skeleton | Death itself, often in action |
| Hourglass | Time is running out — surrender now |
| Cutlass or sword | Violence; the will to fight |
| Bleeding heart | A slow or painful death; no mercy |
| Raised glass | A toast with death — the pirate's life |
| Spear | An attack about to land |
Famous pirates' flags
- "Calico Jack" Rackham — a skull above two crossed cutlasses. Probably the most copied pirate flag today.
- Bartholomew Roberts — "Black Bart", the most successful pirate of the age, flew a flag of himself standing on two skulls, marked for the islands of Barbados and Martinique, whose governors had hunted him.
- Edward Teach (Blackbeard) — the flag often shown for him, a horned skeleton spearing a heart beside an hourglass, appears in no records from his lifetime. It may be a later invention.
- Edward England — the classic skull and crossbones on black.
Many flags shown in books and films are best guesses. Only a handful of real pirate flags survive.
Pirate flag meaning today
- Submarines. In the Royal Navy, submarines returning from a successful patrol have flown a Jolly Roger since the First World War, a tradition copied by other navies.
- Sport and celebration — on fans, boats and party decorations.
- Rebellion and freedom — the outsider who answers to nobody.
- The pirate flag emoji 🏴☠️ is used for piracy in every sense, for rebellion, and for anything adventurous.
Pirates and playing cards
Pirates gambled constantly — the Articles that many crews signed often banned playing cards or dice for money on board, which shows how much they were played. A pirate deck, with skulls on the backs and buccaneers on the courts, is a fitting thing to bring to a card table. Unique themed playing cards.
