A group of pigs can either be called a drift, drove, passel, sounder, litter, team, or herd, regardless if we’re referring to guinea pigs, wild pigs, or domestic pigs. The correct name for a group of pigs depends on the stage of development of the pigs in the group.

A group of young pigs is called a drift, drove, or litter, though drift or drove can also refer to a general group of pigs of any age.

A group of pigs that includes older pigs is called a sounder, team, or passel. More specifically, a group of hogs is called a passel or team. A group of swine is called a sounder. A group of boars is called a singular.

Why Are There So Many Different Names for Pigs?

We would love to get into the intricacies of the English language and tell you exactly why there are so many different names for a group of pigs, but the truth is that there doesn’t appear to be a logical explanation for many of these terms.

While some terms like “herd” and “litter” have Germanic or Latin origins, the origin of other terms is anyone’s guess – let alone the reasons why these words were even used in the first place.

As language isn’t always logical, whatever a farmer one day started calling a group of pigs and other people began to use until the term spread to be commonplace is the only answer we can give, even though it might be unsatisfying.