Cowboy names: 190+ western, outlaw and cowgirl names
195 names · Updated · By The Nomezo Editors · Save to Pinterest
Great cowboy names come straight from the Old West, like Wyatt Earp, Annie Oakley and Billy the Kid, or from rugged given names with real meanings, such as Colt (young horse), Cash and Clementine.
The first four groups on this page are real Old West figures (plus one tall tale): lawmen, outlaws, cowgirls and the trail drivers, ranchers and rodeo cowboys who built the legend, each with the facts behind the name. Then come famous cowboys from books, films and games, real western boy names and cowgirl names with their meanings, then clearly labeled invented names: classic cowboy nicknames, western names for characters and a herd of funny cowboy names.
Can't decide? Shuffle 6 random picks
Gus McCrae
Retired Texas Ranger in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove (1985)
Virgil Earp
Tombstone city marshal at the 1881 O.K. Corral gunfight
Dusty
Classic trail name for a rider who eats the herd's dust
Margaret Borland
Texas widow who drove about 2,500 cattle to Wichita in 1873
Colt
English for young horse; quick and spirited
Saddle Sore Sam
Has ridden a little too far today
Find a cowboy name on this page
Narrow 195 names by section, length or first letter, or search the notes.
Famous cowboy names: lawmen of the Old West
Real marshals, sheriffs and deputies of the frontier, with the facts behind each name.
- Wyatt Earp: Tombstone lawman of the 1881 O.K. Corral gunfight; died 1929
- Doc Holliday: Georgia-born dentist turned gunfighter, deputized by Virgil Earp before the O.K. Corral fight
- Wild Bill Hickok: Army scout and lawman, shot in Deadwood in 1876
- Bat Masterson: Dodge City lawman who later wrote sports columns in New York
- Bass Reeves: Born enslaved, became a legendary deputy U.S. marshal in Indian Territory
- Pat Garrett: New Mexico sheriff who killed Billy the Kid in 1881
- Seth Bullock: First sheriff of Lawrence County, home of Deadwood, and a friend of Theodore Roosevelt
- Virgil Earp: Tombstone city marshal at the 1881 O.K. Corral gunfight
- Morgan Earp: Wyatt's younger brother, killed in Tombstone in 1882
- Judge Roy Bean: Self-styled Law West of the Pecos in Langtry, Texas
- Heck Thomas: Deputy marshal, one of the Three Guardsmen of Oklahoma Territory
- Bill Tilghman: Longtime Oklahoma lawman, another of the Three Guardsmen
- Commodore Perry Owens: Apache County, Arizona, sheriff known for an 1887 Holbrook shootout
- Texas John Slaughter: Cattleman who became Cochise County, Arizona, sheriff in 1887
- Elfego Baca: Held off 40 to 80 cowboys for some 33 hours in Frisco, New Mexico, in 1884
- Dallas Stoudenmire: El Paso city marshal famous for a lightning-fast 1881 gunfight
- Charlie Siringo: Cowboy turned Pinkerton detective, author of A Texas Cow Boy, 1885
Old West outlaw names
Real bandits, train robbers and gunfighters. Their names are legend; their deeds were often grim.
- Billy the Kid: Born Henry McCarty; killed at Fort Sumner, New Mexico, in 1881
- Jesse James: Missouri outlaw shot by Robert Ford in St. Joseph in 1882
- Frank James: Jesse's older brother, who surrendered in 1882 and was acquitted
- Butch Cassidy: Robert LeRoy Parker, Wild Bunch leader, reportedly killed in Bolivia in 1908
- Sundance Kid: Harry Longabaugh, named for the Wyoming town where he served jail time
- Sam Bass: Train robber killed after a shootout at Round Rock, Texas, in 1878
- John Wesley Hardin: Texas gunfighter, shot in El Paso in 1895
- Cole Younger: Rode with Jesse James; captured after the 1876 Northfield, Minnesota, raid
- Johnny Ringo: Cochise County cowboy found dead in Arizona in 1882
- Curly Bill Brocius: Rustler reportedly killed by Wyatt Earp at Iron Springs in 1882
- Kid Curry: Harvey Logan, called the wildest of the Wild Bunch
- Black Jack Ketchum: Train robber hanged in Clayton, New Mexico, in 1901
- Bob Dalton: Gang leader killed in the 1892 Coffeyville, Kansas, double bank raid
- Bill Doolin: Oklahoma outlaw leader, killed by Heck Thomas's posse in 1896
- Henry Starr: Bank robber shot during a 1921 holdup in Harrison, Arkansas
- Joaquín Murrieta: Legendary California bandit of the 1850s Gold Rush
- Tiburcio Vásquez: California bandit hanged in San Jose in 1875
- Charles Boles: Poetic stagecoach robber who called himself Black Bart
- Tom Horn: Army scout and range detective, hanged in Cheyenne in 1903
- Clay Allison: Hot-tempered New Mexico gunfighter of the 1870s
- Ben Thompson: Gunfighter and Austin city marshal, killed in San Antonio in 1884
Real cowgirls and women of the Old West
Sharpshooters, bronc riders, cattle queens and a few outlaws, all real.
- Annie Oakley: Ohio sharpshooter, star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show
- Calamity Jane: Martha Canary, frontierswoman buried next to Wild Bill Hickok in Deadwood
- Lillian Smith: Teenage trick shooter and Oakley's rival in the 1880s
- Lucille Mulhall: Oklahoma roper often called America's first cowgirl
- Prairie Rose Henderson: Wyoming bronc rider at Cheyenne Frontier Days in 1899 or 1901
- Fannie Sperry Steele: Montana bronc rider who won at the first Calgary Stampede, 1912
- Stagecoach Mary: Born enslaved, she carried the U.S. mail in Montana from 1895
- Lizzie Johnson Williams: Texas cattle queen who drove her own branded herd up the Chisholm Trail
- Margaret Borland: Texas widow who drove about 2,500 cattle to Wichita in 1873
- Sally Scull: South Texas horse trader who hauled cotton to Mexico during the Civil War
- Henrietta King: Ran a vast South Texas ranch after her husband Richard died in 1885
- Bertha Blancett: Early bronc rider, among the first women to ride broncs at Cheyenne
- Belle Starr: The Bandit Queen of Indian Territory, shot in 1889
- Pearl Hart: Canadian-born woman who robbed an Arizona stagecoach in 1899
- Cattle Annie: Teenage outlaw of 1890s Oklahoma Territory, born Anna McDoulet
- Little Britches: Jennie Stevens, Cattle Annie's teenage partner in the 1890s
- Rose Dunn: Teen girl tied to the Doolin gang in 1890s Oklahoma
- Laura Bullion: Wild Bunch member arrested in St. Louis in 1901
- Etta Place: Sundance Kid's companion, whose real name is still a mystery
Trail drivers, ranchers and rodeo cowboys
The real cowhands, cattlemen and showmen behind the cowboy legend, plus one tall tale.
- Charles Goodnight: Texas rancher credited with inventing the chuck wagon in 1866
- Oliver Loving: Trail partner of Charles Goodnight on their 1866 cattle drive
- Nat Love: Born enslaved, became a trail cowboy and wrote a 1907 memoir
- Bill Pickett: Black cowboy who invented bulldogging, now called steer wrestling
- Bose Ikard: Black trail hand Charles Goodnight trusted above all others
- Jesse Chisholm: Cherokee-Scottish trader whose wagon road became a famous cattle trail
- Buffalo Bill: William F. Cody, scout and Wild West showman from 1883
- Kit Carson: Frontier trapper, guide and scout of the 1840s; his 1863–64 campaign against the Navajo makes him a contested figure
- Will Rogers: Cherokee Nation cowboy, trick roper and beloved humorist
- John Chisum: New Mexico's Cattle King of the Pecos, known for the Jinglebob earmark
- Richard King: Founded a giant South Texas ranch on Santa Gertrudis Creek in 1853
- Shanghai Pierce: Booming-voiced Texas cattleman of the trail-drive era
- Teddy Blue Abbott: Trail cowboy whose memoir We Pointed Them North came out in 1939
- Jim Bridger: Mountain man and guide who explored the Rockies
- Pecos Bill: Tall-tale cowboy who rode a cyclone, first in print in 1923
Cowboy names from books, films and games
Famous fictional westerners, for reference. These characters belong to their creators, so an original character needs an original name.
- Gus McCrae: Retired Texas Ranger in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove (1985)
- Woodrow Call: Gus's stern partner on the cattle drive in Lonesome Dove
- Joshua Deets: Lonesome Dove's scout, partly inspired by the real Bose Ikard
- Rooster Cogburn: One-eyed marshal of Charles Portis's True Grit (1968); John Wayne won an Oscar playing him
- Mattie Ross: True Grit's determined 14-year-old heroine
- Shane: The lone gunfighter of Jack Schaefer's 1949 novel and the 1953 film
- Josey Wales: Clint Eastwood's farmer turned outlaw in The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
- Arthur Morgan: The outlaw at the heart of the game Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)
- John Marston: Former outlaw and lead of the game Red Dead Redemption (2010)
- Sadie Adler: Red Dead Redemption 2's widow turned bounty hunter
- John Dutton: Kevin Costner's Montana rancher in the TV series Yellowstone (2018 to 2024)
- Rip Wheeler: Yellowstone's loyal ranch foreman
Western boy names
Real given names with a frontier feel, each with its meaning and origin.
- Jedediah 45 in 2025: Hebrew for beloved of the Lord; Jed for short
- Walt 35 in 2025: Germanic for ruler of the army; a trail boss name
- Denver US #518: Old English for Dane ford, now the capital of Colorado
- Waylon US #56: From an English surname based on Wayland, a smith of Germanic legend; country star Jennings
Cowgirl names
Real girl names with a western spirit, each with its meaning and origin.
- Cassidy US #541: Irish for curly-haired; spirited and fun
Classic cowboy nicknames
Generic trail-style nicknames for a rider, a character or a friend, not the names of specific historical people.
- Dusty: Classic trail name for a rider who eats the herd's dust
- Slim: Old West favorite, usually for the tallest hand
- Tex: Given to any rider who hailed from the Lone Star State
- Lefty: For the hand who ropes left-handed
- Cookie: Traditional name for the chuck wagon cook
- Buckshot: Loud, scattered and hard to ignore
- Tumbleweed: A drifter who never stays in one town long
- Rawhide: Tough as untanned leather
- Sundown: Shows up just as the day's work ends
- Rattler: Quick-tempered, so give him room
- Spurs: You hear him jingle before you see him
- Mesquite: Tough as the desert tree, and just as rooted
- Boots: Never seen without his best pair
- Hoss: Old western slang for a big, strong fellow
- Lariat: For the best roper in the outfit
- Bronc: Rides anything with four legs and a temper
- Ace: Top hand at everything, and knows it
- Coyote: Clever, quick and a little sneaky
Invented western names for characters
Original full names for westerns, games and role-play. All invented for this page.
- Clara Mae Holloway: Schoolteacher by day, sharpshooter by evening
- Eli 'Dust Devil' Calhoun: Rides in on a whirlwind and leaves just as fast
- Josiah Blackwell: A quiet rancher with a long memory
- Lottie Larkspur: A prairie flower who can outride anyone
- Marshal Gideon Crane: Keeps the peace with a single stare
- Sheriff Opal Whitlock: First woman sheriff of an invented mining town
- Ezra Kincaid: Trail boss who always knows the way to water
- Della Ray Sutton: Runs the stage line and stands for no nonsense
- Cole 'Sidewinder' Maddox: Slips away from every posse
- Harlan Briggs: Old prospector with a map he guards like gold
- Wynona Starling: A trick rider with a silver saddle
- Tobias Rook: Blacksmith who can shoe a horse in minutes
- Rosalie 'Rattlesnake' Quinn: Sweet as pie until you cross her
- Calvin Hollister: A deputy who never rides without his harmonica
- Etta Lou Pruitt: Owns the general store and knows every secret
- Wade McAllister: Range rider who sings to the cattle at night
- Birdie Ransom: Bounty hunter who always gets her outlaw
- Judge Thaddeus Pike: Hands down justice from a porch rocker
- Lucky Jack Morrow: Never been thrown from a horse, yet
Funny cowboy names
Pun-loaded cowboy and cowgirl names for costumes, horses and very relaxed ranch hands.
- Roy Rollers: Happy trails, on roller skates
- Annie Oatmeal: Sharpshooter of the breakfast table
- Calamity Jam: Spreads chaos and strawberry preserves
- Wild Bill Hiccup: Can't hold still on the draw
- Buffalo Wings Bill: Hottest sauce west of the Mississippi
- Doc Hollyday: Decks the bunkhouse every December
- Jesse Games: Fastest thumbs in the West
- Wyatt Twerp: Lawman with a terrible sense of humor
- Bat Masterchef: Wins every chili cook-off in Dodge
- Pat Carrot: Healthiest sheriff in New Mexico
- Billy the Goat: Chews through every fence on the ranch
- Sheriff Ketchup: Always catches up, eventually
- Hopalong Casserole: The hero of every ranch potluck
- Lone Danger: Rides alone because nobody else will
- Sundance Kidney Bean: Brings beans to every campfire
- Saddle Sore Sam: Has ridden a little too far today
- Mosey McGee: Never hurries, never worries
- Two-Step Tina: Dances her way out of every showdown
- Giddy-Up Gabby: Talks the whole trail drive long
- Sir Lassos-a-Lot: Ropes anything that moves, and some things that don't
- Yee-Haw Yolanda: Says it loud and means it
How to pick the right name
Go short and strong
The best western names are one or two syllables you can holler across a corral: Colt, Cash, Hank, Belle, Dolly. Long names usually get shortened on the trail anyway.
Add a trail nickname
Real cowboys collected nicknames from a habit, a job or a hometown. Pair a given name with one, like Clara 'Sundown' Holloway, for a character with a story built in.
Mind the real history
Names like Billy the Kid or Belle Starr belonged to real people, some of them dangerous. They are great for reference, but an original character works best with an original name.
Check how it ages
For a real baby, picture the name on a toddler and on a 70-year-old rancher. Names like Amos, Hattie and Everett age beautifully.
Save this list for later
Pin it to a naming board, or tap the heart next to any name to keep it in your favorites on this device.
Cowboy names: western names at record highs, the real names behind the legends, and the Spanish roots of cowboy talk
By The Nomezo Editors · Updated October 25, 2026 · How we research names
Western names are having their biggest moment in US records: in 2025 Waylon, Beau, Stetson and Colter all reached their best ranks since Social Security data begins in 1880, and Kayce went from 26 baby boys in 2018, the year Yellowstone premiered, to 843.
Many legendary names were never the names on a birth record: Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty. The finder above narrows the names by section, length or first letter, and the tags show each given name's 2025 US rank.
Western names at record highs
- The Yellowstone effect? Dutton first appears in Social Security data in 2018, the year the series premiered, with 5 boys, and reached 366 in 2023; Kayce rose from 26 boys in 2018 to 843 in 2025. The timing fits the show, though the data cannot prove the cause (Wikipedia)).
- Western names cross over. In 2025 Oakley went to 1,933 girls and 688 boys, and Wyatt to 145 girls.
| Name | US rank, 2025 | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| Wyatt | #38 | #25 in 2017 |
| Maverick | #49 | #36 in 2024 |
| Waylon | #56 | #56 in 2025, a record |
| Beau | #60 | #60 in 2025, a record |
| Everett | #77 | #77 in 2025, a record |
| Colter | #157 | #157 in 2025, a record |
| Cody | #318 | #24 in 1993 |
Source: US Social Security Administration, births 1880 to 2025. Stetson also hit a record in 2025: No. 136.
Legend names and the names on the record
| Known as | Born as |
|---|---|
| Billy the Kid | Henry McCarty |
| Butch Cassidy | Robert LeRoy Parker |
| Sundance Kid | Harry Longabaugh |
| Calamity Jane | Martha Jane Canary |
| Annie Oakley | Phoebe Ann Mosey |
| Black Bart | Charles E. Boles |
| Kid Curry | Harvey Logan |
| Stagecoach Mary | Mary Fields |
| John Wayne | Marion Robert Morrison |
Sources: Wikipedia, for example Billy the Kid, Butch Cassidy and John Wayne, whose nickname Duke came from his Airedale dog.
Vaqueros, and the Spanish in cowboy talk
- The first cowboys were vaqueros. The ranching tradition grew from the haciendas of New Spain, and buckaroo is generally thought to come from vaquero, Spanish for cattle herder (Wikipedia). In 1832 Mexican vaqueros taught cattle work in Hawaii, where cowboys are still called paniolo.
- Cowboy words from Spanish. Lariat comes from la reata, lasso from lazo, chaps from chaparreras, and mustang from mesteño; rodeo, ranch and corral are Spanish too (Wikipedia).
- Maverick was a man. Texas landholder Samuel A. Maverick let his cattle go largely unbranded, and by 1872 a dictionary used maverick for an unbranded calf; it later came to mean any independent person (Texas State Historical Association).
- One in four. The National Park Service estimates that one in four cowboys was African American (NPS).
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What are some famous cowboy names?
Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill, Billy the Kid and Annie Oakley are the best known. Black cowboys and lawmen like Nat Love, Bill Pickett and Bass Reeves are just as legendary.
What are good western boy names?
Colt (young horse), Cash, Rhett, Maverick, Bowie, Everett and Jethro all have a western feel. Older names like Amos, Levi and Ezekiel also fit the frontier.
What are good cowgirl names?
Annie, Belle, Clementine, Dolly, Daisy, Hattie and Savannah are classic choices. Place names like Montana, Sierra and Dakota also suit a modern cowgirl.
Were there Black cowboys in the Old West?
Yes. The National Park Service estimates that one in four cowboys was African American, and many others were Mexican vaqueros. Nat Love, Bill Pickett and Bose Ikard are famous examples.
How did cowboys get their nicknames?
Trail nicknames usually came from a job, a habit or a hometown: Cookie for the chuck wagon cook, Tex for anyone from Texas, Lefty for a left-handed roper.
What does the name Maverick mean?
It comes from Samuel A. Maverick, a Texas landholder whose cattle roamed largely unbranded in the 1840s. His surname became the word for an unbranded calf and then for any independent thinker. In 2025 it was the 49th most popular US boys' name.
What were Billy the Kid's and Butch Cassidy's real names?
Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty and Butch Cassidy was born Robert LeRoy Parker. The Sundance Kid was Harry Longabaugh, who took his nickname from the town of Sundance, Wyoming, where he was jailed as a young man.
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