Last Updated on January 4, 2021
Pirates and their way of life have captivated people for decades. That’s why stories and legends about them still live on to the modern days.
Dating back to as old as 14th century BC, pirates have plagued parts of the sea where merchant ships would pass by. Thus, those going through the Mediterranean were almost always at their mercy. In fact, it’s a well-known tale that even Julius Caesar had been captured by pirates as a young man.
But it wasn’t always a disgraceful profession. Back during the pre-classical era, the ancient Greeks viewed piracy as a legal and reasonable way to make a living. You can even read references to this in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.
While there are obviously less pirates today, it still remains a problem in the maritime industry. This is because much of international commerce relies on shipping. Armed with new weapons though, their goal has never changed: and that is to ‘Take what you can; and give nothing back’.
Ready to take on the high seas? Then create some swashbuckling good content with these amazing pirate fonts.
Legendary Pirate Fonts
1. Cutlass Typeface
Inspired by classic horror cartoon and pirate culture, Gumico Studio presents this one-of-a-kind typeface. It comes in three styles (Regular, Rough, Shadow) as well as BONUS pirate dingbats to make your maritime ideas come to life.
2. Texas Hero
Ever wanted to replicate nineteenth-century handwriting? This gem from Three Islands Press is just the thing. Fashioned from Thomas J. Rusk’s penmanship, this font includes 500+ glyphs, a full complement of discretionary ligatures, contextual alternates, old-style and lining figures, inkblots, a crossout, at least one doodle, and complete Central/Eastern European alphabets.
3. 1809 Homer PRO
There was a time when it was carrier pigeons, also called “homers” that delivered small letters. Get a load of this typeface from GLC Foundry that mimics a similar feel, but with a modern, readable twist.
4. 1822 GLC Caslon PRO
This Pro set was inspired from the well-known Caslon typeface created by William Caslon, the English font designer. Available in two styles, let it set the tone for a classic look to grace your old-school projects.
Download 1822 GLC Caslon PRO OTF
5. Bonnycastle
Influenced by hand-lettered titles from charts and maps of Sir Richard Henry Bonnycastle, an English officer and military engineer who served in the War of 1812, this font will give your works that romantic, old world feel evocative of that decade.
6. 1651 Alchemy Family
Want to be whisked away to a time when magic, damsels, and knights were at play? Then use this type family that contains special OTF encoding, small caps, and alchemy symbols.
7. Helsing
For those looking for the perfect lettering to put in illustrative titles, then this little number from Great Lakes Lettering should do the trick. With its skewed baseline, subtle texture, thick and thin contrasts, as well as decorative legs, it’s an instant classic.
8. Black Shepherd
Designed by Katya of chekart, this bones font is exactly what you need to spice up posters, book covers, invitations, logos, and apparel for Halloween, horror, or pirate themes.
9. Geographica Hand
This antique font carefully mimics hand-lettered serif text on a series of British maps printed during the 1700s. The product includes rough map ornaments such as boats, trees, and windmills, to give your works an organic, amiable vibe.
10. Terra Ignota
A cartographic font with roots from 1650 exploration maps, use these letters if you want to lend a bold yet rustic atmosphere to your old-world projects.
11. Captain Shipwreck Font
Designed by Jon Swinn, this uniquely distressed font from Alphabet Agency is all about being big, bold, and rough. Ideal for beer labels, biker gang jackets, or outlaw branding, its worn-out appearance will also look great as tattoos, logos, emblems, and more.
Download Captain Shipwreck Font
12. Saltpetre
Created with hand-inked, antique dip pens and playfully spaced for a delightful, irregular look, Magpie Paper Works presents this charming offering that you can use for personal or commercial projects.
13. Pirates Dingbats
This is a collection of pirate, death, thieves, and high seas drawings in a font format from Intellecta Design.
14. Jacob Riley
Now you can pretend to be an 18th century belle or gentleman with a pen pal by using this hand-illustrated calligraphy that’s amazingly reliable.
15. Pirate Vintage Style Font
Featuring six (6) styles (Regular, Grunge, Inline, Inline Grunge, Shadow, and Shadow Grunge) to choose from, JumboDesign gives you this custom serif that’s always ready to set sail.
Download Pirate Vintage Style Font
16. Pirates Display Font
Don’t be fooled – this retro typeface from Unicode is as flexible as it is beautifully made. Aside from pirate or maritime themes, you can also use this on Halloween, vintage, music, and travel concepts.