Cowboys and cowgirls have unique and image-evoking names that we remember. Whether it was a comic character like Howdy Doody or a strong lawman like Marshall Dillon, cowboy names are cool. They make us think about simpler times and the great black and white movies of the ’50s and ’60s. A cowboy like Roy Rogers singing a western song just makes you smile.
Good Cowboy Names
A good cowboy name should make you think about the wild west and the exciting and dangerous time it represents. Here is a list of good fictional cowboys:
Edward “Blaze” Cody
Ramblin’ Todd Jenkins
Canyon John Kempler
Ryder Dawson
Shane Swanson
River Trenton
Cliff Barton
Skyler McGillicuty
Black Bart McCallister
Mack Browning
Zeke Featherwood
Tripp Weatherall
Levi Manchester
Gamblin’ Bill Simpson
Goodman Springfield
Cowboy Names for Boys
Weston Steele
Spurs McGavin
Jed Hardbottom
Randy Bowslinger
Jonas Grumby
Cooper Bushmaster
Jumpin’ Jack Curtiss
Wayne Watterson
Bullet Bronson
Gripp Tightly
August Hardweather
Rocky Blacksmith
Gun Happy Harrison
Chaps Quentin
Gentry Killman
Zeb Marshall
Justice Gustafson
Wylie Wilson
Blackie Whitman
Brooks McCarthy
Cheyenne Skysong
Cole Fowler
Archer Chessman
Trigger Guard
Reno Riley
Kit Carson
Wild Eyes Wilson
Luke Hardscrabble
Chase Goodfellow
Outlaw Jimmy Newman
Cash Muzzle
Jericho Joe Gardener
Blaze Firecracker
Webb Beretta
Black Bart McCallister
Funny Cowboy Names
A funny cowboy name will make you laugh and chuckle. Some of these names are just plain ridiculous. Enjoy.
Rusty Nails
Dusty Rhodes
Busted Bronco Butkis
Lasso Jones
Clint Flint
Bad Cold Bill Rudolph
Gopher Urgun
Mangy Polecat
Dirty Spittoon
Pappy Rottencrotch
Flinch Rimkist
Stinky Roadkill
Wheezy Williamson
Mumbles Saddlebags
Not Too Quick Shooterson
Famous Cowboy Lawmen Names
There were many famous real-life cowboys and lawmen in the American West. As the railroads made it easier for people to move out west, law and order needed to be maintained. These are the men that handled that duty:
Buffalo Bill Cody
Wyatt Earp
Morgan Earp
Virgil Earp
James Earp
John Henry “Doc” Holiday
Bat (Bartholomew) Masterson
Ed Masterson
Jim Masterson
Doc Surlock
James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok
Harry Love
William H. “High Water Bill” Moorhead
Henry Nash
Montie Montana
Bill Picket
William Owen “Buckey” O’Neill
John Selman
Max Ventura
Bill Tilghman
Pat Garret
James Franklin “Bud” Ledbetter
William Brady
Jefferson “Keno” Wilson
Frank Canton
Charles Francis Colcord
Dallas Stoudamire
Steve “Big Steve” Long
Mysterious Dave Mather
Longhair Jim Courtright
Henry Andrew “Heck” Thomas
John King Fisher
Alan Pinkerton
Lot Smith
Tolbert “Tol” Fannin McKinney
Alexander Ramsey
William Fletcher Wheeler
Famous Cowgirl Names
Although not as numerous as the cowboys, outlaws, and lawmen of the Wild West, cowgirls made their mark. Here is a list of famous cowgirls. Some were shooting specialists in Wild West Shows, some were outlaws, and some were skilled riders. But all of them were original characters.
Annie Ralston
Zerelda Samuel
Belle Starr (Myra Belle Shirley)
Ella Watson
Calamity Jane
Annie Oakley
Dale Evans
Lottie Dunn
Lucille Marshal
Connie Douglas Reeves
Kitty Canutt
Slue Foot Sue
Pearl Hart
Laura Bullion
Elanor Dumont
Goldie Griffith
Mary Fields
Rose Dunn
Katherine Haroney (Big Nose Kate)
Lillian Smith
The Story Behind the Gunslinger
In the Wild West, it was far more common to hear the terms gunman, gunfighter, pistoleer, or shootist. The word gunslinger made its was into the early movies and its popularity spread thanks to writer Zane Grey. Today, a gunslinger could even be a hired expert in a specific field. “The gunslinger is here to fix our computer.”
Cowboy Nicknames
A strong nickname could strike fear in an opponent’s heart or, at the very least, make them think twice. Here is a collection of classic cowboy nicknames.
Houston
Cotton Mouth
Itchy Trigger Finger
Whisky Breath
Rattle Snake
Remington
Cactus
Saddle Sore
Alamo
Sharp Spurs
Flap Jack
Stetson
Texas
Bull Trash
Two Gun
Greasy
Ranger
Oklahoma
Big Toe
Pistol Whipped
El Paso
Gunner
Boot Hill
Grave Digger
Skunk
Dallas
Six Gun
Arizona
Bandolero
Oklahoma
Little Head
Winchester
No Nose
Three Eared
Austin
Pigeon Toed
Shotgun
Dynamite
Judge Roy Bean: The Law
Judge Roy Bean was a saloonkeeper and gambler who was appointed a justice of the peace by the State of Texas. By all accounts, Bean had difficulty reading and what he lacked in legal training he made up for with his audaciousness. He would routinely pause a trail to sell liquor to the lawyers, the defendant(s), and onlookers. Any fines that were levied were paid directly to the Judge who kept the money.
Judge Roy Bean billed himself as “The Law West of the Pecos. He was the only judge for miles and his law was swift if inconsistent. In one case an Irish railroad worker killed a Chinese railroad laborer. Two hundred Irish workers showed up to support their friend. The good Judge surveyed the crowd, picked up one of his law books, thumbed through it and made a declaration. “homicide is a crime, but I can find nothing that says you can’t kill a Chinaman.”
Outlaws
The reason there were a lot of lawmen in the Wild West was there were a lot of Outlaws. Making money is easy when you steal it from other by robbing banks, rustling cattle, and stealing horses. Here is a list of the worst of the worst:
Clay Allison
Butch Cassidy
Texas Kid
Emmet Dalton
Bill Doolin
Jesse James
Billy the Kid
Frank James
Charlie Pitts
John Wesley Hardin
Turkey Creek Jack Johnson
James “Dog” Kelley
Buckskin Frank Leslie
Tom McLaury
Three Fingered Jack Dunlop
Billy Stiles
Apache Kid
Black Jack Bill
Cockeyed Frank Loving
George Parker
John Ringo
Luke Short
Six Toed Pete
Three-Legged Willie Williamson
Cole Younger
Bob Younger
Jim Younger
John Younger
Sundance Kid
Ben Thompson
Tom Black Jack Samuels
Frank Dalton
Frightening Cowboy Names
As we said earlier a nickname could strike fear and hear is a list of fictional cowboy names that are frightening:
Deadeye McGurk
Shootout Samuels
Ghost Maker Billings
Edgar “Hunt You Down” Manchester
Snake Eyes Simpson
Insane Wayne Newsome
Bullseye Bailey
Mad Dog Madison
Leatherface Pearce
No Teeth Johnson
Edgar “Pigs Eye” Watson
Three Toed Sammy Gregson
Dead Cold Tom Nelson
Blood Sucking Roger Wilson
Big Gun Bobby Fields
Famous TV and Movie Cowboys
Western T.V. Shows and Movies are very popular. This is a list of some of the classic characters (and some real cowboys too) from the small and silver screens.
Roy Rodgers
James West
Ben Cartwright
Gene Autry
John McCabe
Rooster Cogburn
Matt Dillon
Artemus Gordon
Liberty Vallance
Yosemite Sam
Will Kane (High Noon)
Hopalong Cassidy
Josey Wales
Slim Whitaker
Hank Worden
Ben Johnson
Will Rogers
Quickdraw McGraw
William Munny
Ethan Edwards
Hoss Cartwright
Curly Bill Brocious
Nasty Canasta
Ben Wade
Sam Chisholm
John Ruth
Ranger Cordell Walker
Rick O’Shay
Django
Sheriff Woody
Dan Evans
Charlie Prince
Pecos Bill
Nasty Canasta
Western TV Shows
The Western has always been a popular genre of television show and has seemingly stood the test of time. Here’s a partial list of Western T.V. Series from the 50’s until today:
Bonanza
Have Gun Will Travel
Wild Wild West
The Cisco Kid
Bat Masterson
The Rifleman
Gunsmoke (On the air for 20 years)
Davy Crocket
Daniel Boone
Sugarfoot
The High Chaparral
The Roy Rogers Show
The Lone Ranger
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
Zorro
Laramie
Dusty’s Trail
26 Men
The Big Valley
Cheyenne
Wagon Train
The Virginian
Rawhide
Rango
The Deputy
Hondo
The Range Rider
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
Cimarron Strip
Yancy Derringer
Death Valley
The Americans
Casey Jones
Alias Smith and Jones
Classics
Nichols
Hec Ramsey
Kung Fu
Dirty Sally
Barbary Coast
Yellowstone
How the West was Won
The Oregon Trail
The Quest
The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams
The Chisholm’s
Young Maverick
Best of the West
Outlaws
Paradise
Border Town
The Young Riders
The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.
Hawkeye
Lonesome Dove
Legend
The Lazarus Man
Dead Man’s Gun
The Magnificent Seven
The Cherokee Kid
Walker Texas Ranger
Crossfire Trail
Coyote Waits
Justified
Longmire
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Godless
Deadwood
Wild West Chronicles
Hell on Wheels
The Son
Strong Empire
Streets of Laredo
Vigilante Justice
Vigilante justice was common in the Wild West. If citizens felt the long arm of the law was moving too slowly, they took matter into their own hands. In a particularly brutal example, Montana ranchers lynched 35 rustlers and horse thieves. Some historians say that vigilante groups were responsible for dispatching over 700 ne’er do wells.
By Tombstone Tim Moodie
Tim Moodie has never been a cowboy. As a matter of fact, he is scared of horses. In college, he and his friends toured a horse stud farm. He still has psychological scars to this day. But, he has worked professionally naming products, brands, and companies.
Encore
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