‘Pirate’ Is the Most Popular Halloween Costume in Boston, According to Google

The New England Brethren of Pirates. / Photo by Andy Ihnatko on Flickr/Creative Commons

Don’t be surprised if you spot a few pirates in your travels around the Hub this weekend. The humble buccaneer is the most popular costume in Boston, according to Frightgeist, a “Google Trends experiment” that uses data from its three billion daily searches to predict who’ll be wearing what, and where.

“Pirate” leads the pack in Boston, followed by “superhero,” Harley Quinn from Batman, Batman, and Star Wars. Frightgeist also lists which cities have a similar taste in cosplay. Boston’s love of pirate costumes is matched only by that in Fairbanks, Alaska; Dothan, Alabama; Elmira, New York; and San Antonio, Texas.

Frightgeist also notes that steampunk, a fantasy subgenre featuring fantastical, futuristic devices driven by 19th century industrial steam-powered technology, is unusually popular in Boston. Go figure.

Elsewhere in New England, Poison Ivy from Batman is most popular in Springfield; Harley Quinn in Hartford; “superhero” in Providence; the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland in Burlington, Vermont; and “clown” in Presque Isle, Maine. Stay out of Presque Isle.

You can also search Frightgeist by costume, and discover the likelihood of running into someone with the same costume as you. In case you were wondering, Donald Trump is the 105th ranked costume nationally. As Frightgeist forecasts, “Maybe you’ll see another Donald Trump costume at a party this year, maybe you won’t.”