Cowboy Names: Back in the saddle again

Posted December 8th, 2011

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Just as we’ve been heralding the trend towards cowboy names, it looks like we could be in for a posse of new ones.

In the L.A. Times the other day, an article talked about prime-time television’s “reinvigorated love of the western, where projects are sprouting like cactus in the desert…and viewers may see the biggest glut of westerns since the genre’s heyday of the ‘60s.”

It was that heyday that incited the stampede of names that hadn’t been heard in a century onto the boys’ popularity lists of the 1950s, sixties and seventies, some of which are still riding tall in the saddle.

I thought it might be fun to look back at those TV cowboy names, and trace the old black-and-white shows that re-introduced them –we can check later and see whether the series scheduled to be revived, like The Rifleman, will use the same names or resurrect/create others.

Here’s some history of what and who and when. Clearly the favorite nom de cowboy was Clay, chosen by at least five different scripters.  It’s also kind of amazing to see the sheer number of westerns there were on the small screen mid-century.  Was there room on the schedule for anything else?

Adam—Bonanza, 1959

Aeneas—Wichita Town, 1959

Amos—Hec Ramsey, 1972

Artemus—The Wild, Wild West, 1965

Barnabas—The Iron Horse, 1966

Bart—Maverick, 1957

Beau–Tales of Wells Fargo, 1957

Beauregard—Maverick, 1957 (Roger Moore)

Billy Blue—The High Chaparral, 1967

Bo–The Chisholms, 1979

Brent—Maverick, 1957

Bret –Maverick, 1957 (James Garner)

Brodie—Wildside, 1985

Bronco—Bronco, 1958

Burgandy (!)—The Westerner, 1960

Cash–The Barbary Coast, 1975

Chad—Laredo, 1965

Chalk—The Outlaws, 1960

Cheyenne—Cheyenne, 1955

Clay—Black Saddle, 1959; Tales of the Texas Rangers, 1958; Tombstone Territory, 1957, The Virginian 1962, The Deputy, 1959

Clayt—The Monroes, 1966

Cody—Stoney Burke, 1962

Cooper—The Chisholms, 1979, Wagon Train, 1957

Cully—Johnny Ringo, 1959

Edge—Young Maverick, 1979

Emmett—The Virginian, 1962

Evan—The Oregon Trail, 1977

Flint—Wagon Train, 1957

Gideon—The Chisholms 1979

Heath–The Big Valley, 1965 (played by Lee Majors)

Heck—The Outlaws, 1960

Hoby– Trackdown, 1957 (Robert Culp)

Jace—Tales of the Texas Rangers, 1956

Jarrod–The Big Valley, 1965

Jason: Wanted: Dead or Alive, 1958, Branded, 1965 (played by Chuck Connors)

Jeb–Tales of Wells Fargo, 1957

Jebediah—The Cowboys, 1974

Jed—Rawhide, 1959

Jefferson–Jefferson Drum, 1958

Jericho—Daniel Boone, 1964

Jesse–Cimarron City, 1958

Josh—Wanted: Dead or Alive, 1958 (Steve McQueen)

Lane—Cimarron City, 1958

Lofty—Annie Oakley, 1953

Lucas—The Rifleman, 1958 (Chuck Connors)

Lucius—Jefferson Drum, 1958

Marsh—Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, 1955

Matt—Gunsmoke, 1955 (James Arness)

Micah—The Rifleman, 1958

Morgan—The Quest, 1976 (Kurt Russell)

Quentin—The Quest, 1976

Quint –Gunsmoke, 1955 (Burt Reynolds)

Reese—Laredo, 1965

Reno—The High Chaparral, 1967

Rowdy–Rawhide, 1959 (Clint Eastwood)

Rufe—Shane, 1966

Silas—The Big Valley, 1965

Simon—The Deputy, 1959 (played by Henry Fonda)

Tal—Empire, 1962 (played by Ryan O’Neal)

Temple, Temple Houston, 1963

Vint—The Restless Gun, 1957 (John Payne)

Wyatt—Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, 1955

Zeb—How the West Was Won, 1978  (James Arness)