Pale, Brown, and Bitter...

We all know that the British love to pop down to the pub - but which one?  Today we are going to look at the most popular pub names in Britain.  This list is three years old, so there will have been some changes since then, but this is probably as close as we can get!
There have always been certain themes as far as the naming of pubs.  You will notice that many include the names of creatures - both real and imaginary - often accompanied by a colour.  Another common theme is the Royal Family and aristocracy, which can be extended to associated items, such as a crown or orb and sceptre.  Locations (railway, station), sports (cricketers), and trades (masons, bricklayers) are also very widespread .  Then, there are the strange ones!  I will run through a few of these first, before I list the Top 50.

The Old Thirteenth Cheshire Astley Volunteer Rifleman Corps Inn

The longest - unsurprisingly - pub name in Britain, it is in Stalybridge.

The Q Inn

The shortest pub name in Britain, it is also in Stalybridge!

The Blob Shop

The Burn Bullock

Burn Bullock played cricket for Mitcham and Surrey.  The King's Arms in Mitcham (by the cricket green) was renamed The Burn Bullock in 1975.

The Frog and Nightgown

The Ladas

Ladas was the horse that won the 1894 Epsom Derby.

The Case is Altered

The Case is Altered was an early work by British playwright, Ben Jonson.

The Cottage of Content

The Ferret and Trouser Leg

Derived from the northern tradition of stuffing live ferrets down one's trousers.  Yes, that is true...

Now we have the Top 50 most popular pub names (in reverse order) in Britain.  The numbers in brackets indicates how many there are - or were..

50 - The Windmill (86)

49 - The Globe (87)

46 - The Golden Lion (88)

46 - The Station (88)

46 - The Traveller's Rest (88)

45 - The Lamb (92)

44 - The Albion (94)

43 - The Mason's Arms (99)

42 - The George and Dragon (104)

41 - The Black Bull (105)

40 - The White Swan (108)

39 - The Three Horseshoes (115)

38 - The Bridge (118)

37 - The Fox (120)

35 - The Nag's Head (121)

35 - The Sun (121)

33 - The Bull (123)

33 - The Cross Keys (123)

32 - The Bull's Head (126)

30 - The Anchor (127)

30 - The Castle (127)

29 - The Cricketers (130)

28 - The Rising Sun (132)

27 - The Chequers (133)

26 - The Hare and Hounds (138)

25 - The Fox and Hounds (143)

24 - The Coach and Horses (147)

23 - The White Lion (150)

22 - The Star (151)

21 - The Greyhound (155)

20 - The Victoria (175)

19 - The Prince of Wales (177)

18 - The George (183)

17 - The Railway (192)

16 - The Ship (202)

15 - The Black Horse (208)

14 - The Queen's Head (212)

12 - The Plough (216)

12 - The Wheatsheaf (216)

11 - The King's Arms (225)

10 - The Bell (238)

09 - The King's Head (240)

08 - The Rose and Crown (252)

07 - The New Inn (267)

06 - The Swan (270)

05 - The White Horse (300)

04 - The White Hart (320)

03 - The Royal Oak (434)

02 - The Crown (436)

01 -The Red Lion (518)