Cool Cowboy Names

Payton

Variation of Patton or Peyton, English

"fighting man's estate"

Once an obscure, surname-inspired option, Payton (and Peyton) hiked up the charts back in the 90s, likely inspired by the football star Peyton Manning. While both spellings were more (statistically)…

Dell

Diminutive of Odell, English

"of the valley"

Originally a short form of Odell, a place name turned surname that hails from England.

Phineas

English, Egyptian

"the Nubian, the bronze-colored one"

Phineas is the English variation of Phinehas, a Hebrew name likely derived from the Egyptian name Pa-nehasi. Pa-nehasi, meaning "the Nubian" can also be translated as "the bronze-colored one." The…

Decker

German occupational name

"roofer"

Brawny name chosen for his son by rocker Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue.

Pistol

Word name

"fiream"

A contemporary choice, Pistol entered the stats in the US back in 2010 for boys and then in 2013 for girls too. Given to around 80 babies throughout the 2010s, it has fallen out of favor in the…

Quade

Latin or Irish,

"fourth, born fourth; son of Uaid"

Quade is a confident, contemporary-sounding name that would fit right in with classmates Cade, Zade, Slade and Jade, boasting the quirky Q-beginning. Quade Cooper is an Australian rugby star. With…

Quaid

See QUADE.

Quince

Latin

"applelike fruit"

The girls have Apple, Plum, Peaches, Cherry, and Berry: here's one variety of fruit suitable for a boy.

Dash

Diminutive of Dashiell, meaning unknown

Dash is a nickname that can stand on its own and sounds, well, dashing. Connected these days with Kardashian enterprises. Dash can stand on its own—as is evidenced by its entry into the US Top 1000…

Quint

English from Quintus; diminutive of Quinton

Clint with a glint; used for flinty characters in old TV westerns and soap operas.

Ralston

English

"Ralph's settlement"

Down-to-earth surname name with a drawl, also associated with cereal and dog food.

Rancher

Occupational name

Any name that combines two big trends -- in this case, occupational and western names -- has potential.

Randy

Diminutive of Randall, Randolph

Ever since Austin Powers enlightened Americans that "randy" meant "horny," it's been hard to take this name seriously, and Randy has declined in popularity since.

Ranger

French

"forest guardian"

The list of occupational boys' names continues to expand, and this is one of the latest to ride onto the range. With a hint of cowboy and Western, a sprinkle of preppy surname, an outdoorsy,…

Rawlings

English surname

"son of Raul"

Rawlings was a surname brought to England with the Norman invasion and has ties to the name Raul, which means "wolf counsel."

Cy

Diminutive of Cyrus, Persian

"sun"

This evocative short name is suddenly chic — it was recently chosen by Jennifer Lawrence for her baby boy. JLaw's son's name honors Cy Twombly, the influential mid-century American artist. Born Edwin…

Coy

English

"shy, taciturn"

Though rarely heard now, Coy has been around for a century and was not an uncommon name a hundred years ago. There have been a couple of NFL players named Coy, Coy Bowles is in the Zac Brown band,…

Court

Word name, short form of Courtney

"tribunal presided over by a judge, area marked out for ball games; short nose"

As a word name, Court brings with it a plethora of potential meanings, from a legal gathering, to a stage for basketball or tennis, to a street. Sharp and strong, Court feels right at home with other…

Reeve

English occupational name

"bailiff, sheriff, local official"

Cool and dignified, sophisticated and modern, Reeve might be seen as alternative to long-familiar Reese. A medieval occupational name, a reeve was an English manor officer responsible for overseeing…

Reeves

English occupational name

"bailiff, sheriff, local official"

Sleek and cool, Reeves is the plural form of the Medieval occupation name, once associated with a local official who enforced feudal obligations, whose role may be equated to that of a sheriff or…