What Is the Manchester United Logo?
The Manchester United logo is a red devil holding a trident above a ship in full sail, set on a shield with a red and yellow border and the club's name in scrolls. The devil joined the crest in the early 1970s, while the ship goes back to the city's coat of arms. The crest belongs to Manchester United Football Club, the English club formed in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club and renamed Manchester United in 1902.
The shield with the devil and the ship is available as the Manchester United logo SVG.
Manchester United Logo Facts
| Introduced | Devil added to the crest in the early 1970s; "Football Club" dropped in 1998 |
| Symbol | A red devil with a trident above a ship in full sail |
| Logo type | Emblem: the devil and ship on a scrolled shield |
| Earlier mark | A version of the Manchester coat of arms, used after 1902 |
| Owner | Manchester United Football Club |
What the Manchester United Logo Means
The crest combines a place and a nickname. The ship in full sail is what remains of the Manchester City Council coat of arms, from which the badge was first derived.
The devil comes from the club's nickname, the Red Devils, which was inspired by Salford's rugby club. It stands above the ship with its trident raised.
Manchester United Logo History
The club began in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR, the team of the Carriage and Wagon department at the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot. Its first badge showed a steam train on a yellow and green shield, with the club's name across the top.
On 24 April 1902 the club officially became Manchester United. For several decades it used a modified version of the city's coat of arms as its emblem.
From the 1940s to the 1960s the crest put a sailing ship and diagonal stripes inside a pentagon, framed by two scrolls and two flowers. The top scroll read Manchester United and the bottom one Football Club.
The devil arrived at the start of the 1970s. Accounts differ on the exact year: some give 1970, with the crest first worn on the chest of the shirt in 1971, others 1973. Around the same time the badge turned red and yellow, and footballs replaced the flowers.
In 1998 the club brightened the red and yellow and removed the words Football Club from the lower scroll, leaving only the club's name around the devil and the ship.
Manchester United and Liverpool
United's rivalry with Liverpool grew out of competition between the two cities in the industrial era, and both crests take a symbol from civic heraldry: Manchester's ship and Liverpool's bird (see the Liverpool FC logo).
For more clubs like Manchester United, browse our sports logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there a devil on the Manchester United badge?
It comes from the club's nickname, the Red Devils, which was inspired by Salford's rugby club. The devil appeared on programmes and scarves in the 1960s before joining the crest.
What does the ship on the Manchester United crest mean?
The ship in full sail is taken from the Manchester City Council coat of arms, the source of the club's earliest civic badge.
What was Manchester United called before?
Newton Heath LYR Football Club, a railway workers' team formed in 1878. It became Manchester United on 24 April 1902.
When did Football Club disappear from the Manchester United crest?
In 1998, when the club removed the words from the lower scroll and brightened the crest's colours.