The name comes from a type of clay, not from pigs themselves

A piggy bank is called that because of a misunderstanding about the material it was made from, not because it holds money for pigs or looks like one. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, potters in England and Europe made small clay containers from an inexpensive orange-red clay called pygg or pig. These containers were used to store coins and small household items — the clay was cheap, durable, and straightforward to shape.

When English speakers referred to these containers, they called them "pygg pots" or "pig pots" — straightforward naming them after the material. Over time, as the clay fell out of fashion and other materials replaced it, the name stuck. But somewhere between the 1600s and 1800s, English speakers began to hear "pig pot" and think it meant a pot shaped like a pig, rather than a pot made of pig clay. Potters and manufacturers, seeing an opportunity, started making coin containers in the actual shape of pigs to match what people thought the name meant.

Key Takeaways

  • The word "piggy bank" originally referred to containers made from pygg clay, a common material in medieval pottery.
  • The confusion between "pygg" (the clay) and "pig" (the animal) happened gradually over centuries as the original clay fell out of use.
  • Manufacturers capitalized on the misunderstanding by creating pig-shaped coin containers in the 1700s and 1800s.
  • The pig shape became so popular that it became the standard design, even though the original name had nothing to do with the animal's appearance.

How the confusion started in medieval England

Medieval and Renaissance potters across England and northern Europe used pygg clay because it was abundant and affordable. A household might own several pygg pots — some for storing coins, others for keeping spices, buttons, or other small valuables. The pots were straightforward, round, and functional, with a small opening at the top. There was nothing pig-shaped about them.

The name "pygg pot" was purely descriptive: it told you what the pot was made of. But as centuries passed and pygg clay became less common, fewer people knew what pygg actually was. By the 1600s and 1700s, English speakers who encountered the term "pig pot" in old documents or heard it from older generations had no context for the original meaning. They heard "pig" and assumed it referred to the shape or purpose, not the material.

Potters capitalized on the misunderstanding

By the 1700s, manufacturers realized that people expected pig-shaped containers when they heard the term "piggy bank." Rather than correct the misunderstanding, potters began making coin containers in the shape of pigs. These were novelty items at first — decorative and whimsical — but they became popular gifts and household items. The pig shape was memorable, straightforward to manufacture in ceramic or later in plastic, and it gave the container a personality that a plain round pot did not have.

The pig-shaped piggy bank became so dominant that it eventually replaced the original meaning entirely. By the 1800s, most people had no idea that the name had ever referred to a type of clay. The pig shape had become the definition of the object itself. Today, a coin container shaped like a pig is called a piggy bank almost universally, and most people assume the name comes from the shape rather than from a centuries-old misunderstanding about pottery materials.

Why the name stuck even after the shape changed

Names often outlast their original meanings. Once "piggy bank" became established in English, it was too useful and too familiar to abandon. Parents taught their children the term, manufacturers printed it on packaging, and it appeared in books and advertisements. The name had momentum.

What made this particular case unusual is that the name actually changed meaning — from a description of the material to a description of the shape — but kept the same word. This kind of semantic shift happens in language when the original context disappears. Nobody made a conscious decision to rename the object; instead, the object gradually transformed to match what people thought the name meant.

Other languages kept closer to the original meaning

English-speaking countries are unusual in calling these containers "piggy banks." In many other languages, the name either refers to the original clay or uses a completely different term. In French, a coin container is called a tirelire, which comes from the verb "tirer" (to pull or draw out). In German, it is a Spardose, which straightforward means "savings container." In Spanish, it is an hucha, a word with unclear origins but no connection to pigs.

This variation across languages shows that the pig-shaped design and the English name "piggy bank" are not universal. The shape became popular in English-speaking countries and spread from there, but it was never the only way to make or name a coin container. The pig shape is now so strongly associated with saving money that it feels inevitable, but it is actually the result of a specific historical accident in English pottery and language.

Modern piggy banks and the original design

Today, piggy banks come in countless shapes and materials — not just pigs. You can find them shaped like animals, buildings, characters, and abstract forms. They are made from ceramic, plastic, metal, and wood. But the pig shape remains the most recognizable and iconic, so much so that people often use "piggy bank" to refer to any small coin container, regardless of its actual shape.

Museums and collectors sometimes display original pygg pots from the medieval and Renaissance periods. These are straightforward, round, and nothing like the pig-shaped containers that came later. Seeing them side by side with modern pig-shaped piggy banks makes the historical shift obvious — and it shows how a single misunderstanding, repeated and reinforced over centuries, can completely transform an object and the language we use to describe it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did medieval people really use pygg pots to save money?

Yes, though they were not called "piggy banks" then. Pygg pots were used to store coins, spices, buttons, and other small household items. The coin-storage use became more common over time, but the pots were multipurpose containers. The connection between pygg pots and money storage is real; the pig-shaped design came much later.

When did manufacturers start making pig-shaped coin containers?

The shift happened gradually between the 1700s and 1800s. By the 1700s, the misunderstanding about the name was widespread enough that potters began experimenting with pig shapes. By the 1800s, pig-shaped piggy banks were common and popular, especially as novelty gifts and children's toys.

Is there any evidence that the original pygg pots looked like pigs?

No. Archaeological evidence and museum collections show that medieval and Renaissance pygg pots were straightforward, round containers with a small opening. They had no pig-like features. The pig shape was invented later, after the original meaning of the name had been forgotten.

Do other countries have different names for piggy banks?

Yes. French uses tirelire, German uses Spardose, and Spanish uses hucha. These names either refer to the function (drawing money out) or are unrelated to pigs entirely. The pig-shaped design and the English name "piggy bank" are specific to English-speaking countries.