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Cool Cowboy Names

  1. Blaze

    • Origin:

      English word name

    • Meaning:

      "fire"

    • Description:

      Originally a form of the saint's name Blaise, though now more likely to be a hot word name used for both sexes, though heavily weighted toward the boys. It has been in the boys' Top 1000 since the year 2000. On the pop culture side of things, Blaze Bayley is a singer and musician who has been connected to the bands Wolfsbane and Iron Maiden.
  2. Josh

    • Description:

      Josh is a friendly, approachable masculine name that originated as a shortened form of Joshua, which comes from Hebrew meaning 'God is salvation.' While Joshua has biblical significance as the successor to Moses, Josh emerged as a standalone name in the 20th century, embodying a casual, down-to-earth quality. It gained significant popularity in the 1970s through the 1990s in the United States, ranking consistently in the top 100 names. Josh conveys an accessible, unpretentious character with its brief, one-syllable structure. The name suggests a straightforward, trustworthy personality and has maintained steady usage without seeming dated or trendy. Josh represents a perfect balance of familiarity and timelessness in contemporary naming practices.

  3. Dash

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Dashiell, meaning unknown

    • Description:

      Dash is a nickname that can stand on its own and sounds, well, dashing. Connected these days with Kardashian enterprises.
  4. Riggs

    • Origin:

      English surname

    • Meaning:

      "one who lives on the ridge"

    • Description:

      Riggs, with its suave, cowboy-cool style, is one of the hottest new names on the scene. Boy names that end with S are particularly trendy right now, with similar choices Briggs, Wells, and Jones zooming up the charts.
  5. Sayer

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "woodcutter or reciter"

    • Description:

      One of the more subtle occupational surnames, Sayer is a pleasant, open, last-name-first name, particularly apt for a family of woodworkers -- or writers.
  6. Lex

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Alexander

    • Meaning:

      "defending men"

    • Description:

      Cool short form of Alexander, fresher than Alex and less trendy than Xander... for now.
  7. Trace

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Tracy, word name

    • Meaning:

      "of Thracia; to discover or track down; to copy"

    • Description:

      Undoubtedly inspired by country singer Trace Adkins, Trace is part update on 20th century fave Tracy, and part modern word name. Derived from Tracy, it originated as a Roman name meaning "of Thracia" or as a short form of Teresa; as a word name, it's got something slightly arty about it, but outdoorsy too, along the lines of Hunter, Chase, and Wilder.
  8. Dusty

    • Origin:

      English word name

    • Description:

      While the most famous Dusty, Dusty Springfield, might be female, Dusty as a boys' name is derived directly from Dustin. And there are about twice as many baby boys named Dusty as baby girls -- 33 to 14 last year, so a fairly rare name for either sex.
  9. Salem

    • Origin:

      Biblical place-name or Arabic

    • Meaning:

      "safe"

    • Description:

      Salem is a Biblical place name in Canaan, believed to be the same as Jerusalem, as well as the Massachusetts town famous for its late 17th century witch trials. Salem is also a popular first name in its own right throughout the Arabic world.
  10. Gentry

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "aristocracy"

    • Description:

      A distinctive surname that, despite its meaning, has a cowboy swagger, a la Autry.
  11. Ridge

    • Origin:

      English word name

    • Meaning:

      "an elevated body part or structure"

    • Description:

      Ridge may be the quintessential daytime drama name, but it's still better than most. This is one word name rising rapidly through the ranks, reentering the US Top 1000 in 2015 for the first time since 1989.
  12. Abner

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "father of light."

    • Description:

      This once neglected Biblical name is back on the scene, ready to shake off both its association with the long running satirical comic strip, L'il Abner and its historical Puritan image. The name appears in the Bible several times, notably on the cousin and commander of Saul's army and by two figures in the New Testament. It re-entered the US Top 1000 in 2023, and was a fast rising choice in 2024 when it was given to nearly 300 boys.
  13. Baker

    • Origin:

      English occupational surname

    • Description:

      One of the most appealing of the newly hip occupational names, evoking sweet smells emanating from the oven. Much fresher sounding than than others that have been around for a while, like Cooper, and Carter.
  14. Link

    • Origin:

      Word name or diminutive of Lincoln

    • Meaning:

      "ring, loop, connection; town by the pool"

    • Description:

      Perhaps best associated today with the character from The Legend of Zelda game franchise, Link also has ties to the retro crime drama, The Mod Squad, to the presidential surname Lincoln, and of course, to links on the internet. Part fantastical, part retro cool, part futuristic, Link was chosen for 200 boys in 2022, and 144 in 2023.
  15. Colson

    • Origin:

      English surname

    • Meaning:

      "son of Nicholas"

    • Description:

      Author Colson Whitehead introduced this surname-name to the lexicon, perfect for a son or grandson of a Nicholas, a Nicole, or a Colin. Or anyone else who likes the sound for that matter, since there are plenty of Jacksons and Harrisons whose parents are not called Jack or Harry.
  16. Briggs

    • Origin:

      English variation of Bridges

    • Description:

      Having only entered the US Top 1000 in 2012, Briggs is yet another ends-in-s surname name for boys currently on the rise, along the lines of Brooks and Hayes.
  17. Gunner

    • Origin:

      Scandinavian variation of Gunther

    • Meaning:

      "bold warrior"

    • Description:

      The kind of nouveau macho name favored by NRA-leaning parents, Gunner could appeal to those who like other more military or gun inspired names, such as Hunter, Remington, and Cannon. It got a boost up the charts in 2009 when The Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers gave it to his son.
  18. Sutton

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "from the southern homestead"

    • Description:

      Swanky sound via New York's ritzy Sutton Place. It fits with current popular boys’ names, due to its two syllables and -on ending. It debuted in the US Top 1000 for boys in 2015, though it is currently more popular for girls.
  19. Dakota

    • Origin:

      Place-name; Sioux

    • Meaning:

      "friendly one"

    • Description:

      An early and still one of the most popular unisex names, also a place name and name of a Native American people in the northern Mississippi valley, which makes it a controversial baby name choice. While the popularity of Dakota is trending downward for both genders, it's one of those rare genuinely gender-neutral names that is used for nearly equal numbers of boys and girls.
  20. Shep

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Shepherd

    • Description:

      Three Stooges name (he's the one who wasn't Moe or Curly).

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