If you’re happier on a horse than in a car, chances are you’re a cowboy at heart. Here are the best cowboy baby names to inspire you. Saddle up for a wild ride!
If you’re looking for a folk hero, you simply can’t go wrong with a cowboy.
And if you’re looking for cowboy names, we’ve got the complete list right here.
There’s just something about the freedom, the open space, sleeping under the stars, and the romance of a cowboy’s connection with their horse.
It sets off a longing in the heart of even the slickest of city slickers.
Cowboys may have started out as cattle herders, but they became legends.
So if leather chaps and cowboy hats are your thing, sit back and relax.
We’ve wrangled the 234 best cowboy-themed names for your little peanut (or… baked bean?).
What are some good cowboy names? Let’s take a look.
In this article: 📝
- Our top 5 cowboy names
- Our top 5 cowgirl names
- What about some gender-neutral cowboy names?
- What are common cowboy names?
- More cowboy names
- What’s a cowboy nickname?
Our top 5 cowboy names
If it’s cowboy names for boys you’re looking for, let’s saddle up and look at history for inspiration.
Some are famous, some you may never have heard of, but one thing’s for sure: they’ve all got great names.
- Bass Reeves: Formerly enslaved, Bass went on to become the first African American Deputy west of the Mississippi. He is thought to have been the original Lone Ranger. An important figure forgot by history.
- Jesse James is one of the most famous cowboy outlaws of all time. This gunslinger may have gone bad, but his name is synonymous with the Wild West.
- Christopher (Kit) Carson, a famous cowboy who managed to keep it legal.
- Frank Eaton, the original “Pistol Pete” was a sheriff, cowboy, and military scout.
- Willie Pickett. The cowboy who invented bulldogging worked at raches, rodeos and Wild West shows.
Our top 5 cowgirl names
Horses, hats, guns, and boots weren’t just for the boys.
Women got in on the action too.
Annie Oakley didn’t stand for nonsense and neither did these fierce, feisty cowgirls and outlaws.
- Katherine Derre, later Kitty Canutt, is said to have had a diamond tooth. The “Diamond Girl” was a bronc rider with sass.
- Lillian Smith: Every gunslinger needs a rival to keep them sharp. This was Annie Oakley’s.
- Martha Jane Canary: The whiskey-drinking, sharpshooting wildcat better known as “Calamity Jane.”
- Pearl Heart: A feminist before her time, famous for saying “I shall not consent to be tried under a law which my sex had no voice in making.”
- Rose Dunn: No wilting flower, “The Rose of Cimarron” was a famous outlaw.
🤠 You might also like: 104 Fearless Cowgirl Baby Names
What about some gender-neutral cowboy names?
What if you’re having a surprise, or maybe you’re not so fussed about sticking to traditional gendered names?
These are some great gender-neutral options for cowboy names.
- Casey: This Irish name means “vigilant” or “watchful,” the very purpose of a cowboy.
- Montana: This US state is home to many a cowboy.
- Rider/Ryder: This popular name meaning “messenger” is British, but conjures up images of galloping over the plains on your prized stallion.
- Sam: Hebrew and English origin. Meaning “told by God.”
“Jesse” (as in Jesse James) from our Top 5 above is also a good gender-neutral choice.
What are common cowboy names?
These are 60 of the most common cowboy names.
Even if you haven’t come across them in years, you can smell the dusty leather the minute you hear them.
They’re all pretty great, and there’s a reason they’ve stood the test of time.
- Abner
- Barrett
- Beau
- Bennet
- Billy
- Bonnie
- Brock
- Buck
- Buster
- Cal
- Callie
- Cassidy
- Cheyenne
- Clay
- Cliff
- Cole
- Colt
- Dakota
- Dan
- Dillon
- Dixie
- Doc
- Duke
- Dusty
- Earle
- Emmy
- Flint
- Gus
- Hank
- Hoss
- Houston
- Huck
- Hutch
- Jackson
- Jethro
- Judd
- Lawton
- Leland
- Levi
- Marshall
- Maverick
- Nash
- Oakley
- Obadiah
- Otis
- Quaid
- Rancher
- Remington
- Rock
- Sawyer
- Tex
- Tucker
- Walker
- Willis
- Woody
- Wyatt
- Zeke
More cowboy names
Consider all that the word cowboy evokes: nature, excitement, strength, and general bad-assery.
That’s a lot of inspiration to go around.
Some names here are for boys, some for girls, and some that are non-binary.
- Aaron
- Ames
- Amos
- Annie
- Arizona
- Austin
- Bandit
- Bear
- Ben
- Betty
- Blake
- Blaze
- Bo
- Bobbie Jo
- Bobby
- Brandy
- Brawley
- Breaker
- Brody
- Bronson
- Bryce
- Bubba
- Calhoun
- Callum
- Canyon
- Carson
- Carter
- Cash
- Colton
- Chance
- Chase
- Clarke
- Clayton
- Clifton
- Clint
- Clintoon
- Clyde
- Coda
- Cody
- Colter
- Cooper
- Corbin
- Cordially
- Clive
- Dallas
- Davis
- Denver
- Dustin
- Dwayne
- Easton
- Ethan
- Forrest
- Gage
- Galen
- Gannon
- Garrett
- Garth
- Gill
- Goddard
- Grayson
- Gunner
- Heathe
- Hewitt
- Hillary
- Hogan
- Hudson
- Hunter
- Huntly
- Ike
- Jace
- Jack
- Jacob
- Jarrod
- Jase
- Jasper
- Jeb
- Jed
- Jeff
- Jem
- Jessa
- Jim
- Justice
- Linc
- Lincoln
- Luke
- Mack
- Maggie
- Marsh
- Mo
- Moe
- Nat
- Nevada
- Oak
- Owen
- Palmer
- Patterson
- Phineas
- Porter
- Prescott
- Quinlan
- Quint
- Randy
- Ranger
- Ray
- Reese
- Reno
- Ridge
- Rocco
- Roper
- Roscoe
- Russel
- Rylan
- Sage
- Scott
- Shannon
- Sherman
- Sila
- Silver
- Sky
- Slade
- Sterling
- Stetson
- Tagg
- Tanner
- Tate
- Teddy
- Thatcher
- Tobias
- Toby
- Tom
- Trace
- Travis
- Tripp
- Tyler
- Utch
- Vaughn
- Vern
- Virgil
- Wade
- Wagner
- Waker
- Walter
- Webb
- Wes
- Wesley
- West
- Weston
- Wheeler
- Wilder
- Will
- Winston
- Zane
- Zeb
What’s a cowboy nickname?
Every standout cowboy had a nickname.
It’s the thing that made them famous, the stuff that separated them from their peers.
And sometimes they chose their nicknames just because they sounded good.
The great thing about cowboy nicknames is that they’re so easy to make up.
All you’ve got to do is work out the thing your kid is best (or worst) at.
Then slip it between their first and last names.
These are our 10 favorite nicknames for inspo:
- Big Toe: Does your little squirt have big feet?
- Cactus: Are they prickly but pretty?
- Cotton Mouth: Do they know their own mind and aren’t afraid to tell you all about it?
- Dynamite: Small packages, big personalities.
- Flapjack: Can smell a snack a mile away.
- Little Head: The little-est of the bunch.
- Remington: Are they fiery like the pistol?
- Crazy Eye: Don’t peel the banana the wrong way or all hell will break loose!
- Small Fry: Tiny and cute as a button. Or to be used ironically, if they’re big and tall.
- Winchester: The famous repeating rifle.
Cowboys are wise, practical, a little wily, and have a twinkle in their eye.
What more could you hope for your little bronco?
So, if you grew up watching westerns, riding horses, or just generally enjoying the great outdoors, consider a cowboy name, or even a Southern name to capture the spirit of the South.
Yee haw, mama!
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