Cool Cowboy Names

Si is an intriguing antique nickname for Simon and Silas, and we’ve also heard it as a short form of names that contain the "sigh" sound, like Josiah and Osiris.

Riles is the coolest surname name that nobody's using. Seriously nobody — Riles (and the older version of the name, Ryles) have never been given to more than five American baby boys in a single year. But we're hoping to put Riles on the map. Its similarities to trendy names like Riley and Miles make it a great option if you're looking for a name that fits in but stands out.

A relatively common surname, Dixon would be an inventive way to honor an ancestral Richard or Dick, the X form a lot livelier than the Dickson spelling, just as Dix is a more modern short form than Dick; it would be right at home alongside Dax and Jax.

An exceedingly friendly every-guy nickname that could rise alongside the likes of Ike, Sid, and Ned.

Long synonymous with the American outlaw Harry Longabaugh, aka The Sundance Kid, who got his nickname from the town of Sundance, Wyoming, where he was incarcerated as a teenager. The place name Sundance was taken from the sun dance ceremony practiced by local Native American tribes.

The newest cowboy-cool kid on the block is Dutton, introduced by the hit Western drama series Yellowstone. It's seen as a surname in the series, which follows the Dutton family on their ranch. But Americans' affinity towards surname names and the similarities to Sutton have inspired fans of the show to use Dutton for their sons — so much so that Dutton took the title as the fastest-rising name in 2022, jumping a whopping 986 spots.

More of an abbreviation than a short form that can stand on its own.

Asking for trouble.

Holston is a uniquely Southern place name — that of a river, lake, and mountain in Tennessee, as well as a town in Virginia. Holston was first used for the river, previously called the Cherokee River. It was adapted from the surname of pioneer Stephen Holstein, who resided alongside the river. Holstein was the name of a Saxon tribe and is now a region in Germany.

After Dallas, Austin, and Houston, the new cowboy on the block. Old-school Western nickname: Tex.

Wheeler is one of the most energetic of the newly stylish occupational names, all those 'e's giving it a friendly, freewheeling sound.

Wilder not quite wild enough for you? Wylder offers a less wordy looking alternative that looks cool and on-trend, but also has a preppy, last-name vibe. Though this spelling is currently less popular than Wilder, it did enter the US Top 1000 in 2020 and is given to around 400 babies each year - about half the number that are given the Wilder spelling.

There are 15 times as many baby boys named Brett than Bret, but this sleeker version is used and has some merits, namely, being sleeker.

Ode could be part of the extended Otto/Otis family, or it might be a literary term, referring to an elaborate lyric poem.

Though Davy Crockett is a childhood hero, a frontiersman, soldier, politician, congressman and prolific storyteller. But be aware that "crock" is American slang for a lot of nonsense or something broken.

Sounds a bit like a nickname in a Dickens novel, but this short form was used in New England a few centuries ago, back when names like Micajah were popular. Both short and long forms are now ripe for revival.

Sudsy name that could be a new character on "Days of Our Lives."

Mose is the German variation of Moses, a widely familiar name thanks to the character in the Old Testament. Mose is also used a nickname for Moses.