How To Name Your Next Weed Strain

Looking to name a new weed strain?

There’s a ton of places to draw inspiration to name a new weed strain. It could be based on the aroma, color, or parent strains. Before crossbreeding became popular, most strains were landraces named after the geographic location where they grew. Other names are branding like Girl Scout Cookies by the Cookie Fam. Before you name your strain, take a look at some examples of how most popular strains today got their names.

While some strains might seem random, most have some unique meaning or origin story. We broke down some of the common patterns used for naming strains in the past and examples of each.

Appearance

Many strains are named after their appearances. For example, White Widow got its name from the coat of crystal white resin found on each bud.

Other strains are named after the appearance of the whole plant. Moby Dick is named after its large whale-like yields. The large yields combined with a short flowering time makes the strain highly sought after like the fictional rare white whale the strain was named after.

Strains like Granddaddy Purple are named after their unique color because its flowers bloom in shades of deep purple.

Place Of Origin

Many of the landraces popular in the U.S. from the 60’s to 70’s were named after their place of origin. For example, Thai was from Thailand, and Malawi Gold is from Malawi in Africa.

Malawi Gold got its name from two places. The first part of the name is from the place it originates and the second is regarding how rare the strain is. Other strains like this include Mendocino Purp, named first for the location of origin and second for appearance.

Lineage

Since crossbreeding became mainstream, many strains are named after their parents. Sour Tangie, for example, is a cross between Sour Diesel and Tangie. Breeds like these make it easy to guess the lineage of the strain.

3 Kings is less easy to guess but named also named after its lineage. For a long time, Sour Diesel has been considered the king of the East while OG Kush dominated the West Coast. The two were combined to make Headband. Then, Headband, Sour Diesel, and OG Kush were combined to make the holy trinity known as 3 Kings.

Smell

One of the most popular strains named after its scent is Sour Diesel. The legendary East Coast strain gets its name from the pungent fuel-like smell it gives off. Both Sour and Diesel are meant to describe an intense smell.

Other examples of this are included Grape Ape, named for its distinct grape-like smell and Skunk which stinks like one.

Effects

Some strains are named after their profound effects. Smoking Trainwreck will leave you feeling like one. AK-47 was also named for powerful effects, comparing it to the powerful assault rifle developed in the Soviet Union.

The LSD strain got its name from the strong head highs it provides that can sometimes lead to psychedelic experiences. There are several ways you can use the effects of your strain to create a name that foreshadows the experience.

Final Hit

So think about what your strain looks like, smells like, feels like, and where it comes from. Find words that describe any of these and combine them with a little imagination until you find the perfect name for your new weed strain.