Western baby names

If you are seeking a baby name that conjures resilience and grit, rugged landscapes and big skies, and life on the frontier, we've got a list for you.

Western baby girl names

Alma

Alma is the name of a river in what is now Ukraine and was the site of an important battle fought during the Crimean War. The resulting victory made Alma a popular and patriotic name in both France and England. Those who watched the HBO series Deadwood will remember the character Alma Garret. Alma is also a character in "Brokeback Mountain," the Annie Proulx short story set on a Montana ranch. (Michele Williams played Alma beautifully in the film version). In Latin, almus means "nurturing." It also means "apple" in Crimean and Hungarian, and in Spanish, alma means "soul."

Annie

Annie was chosen with Annie Oakley, the gun-toting star of vaudeville's "Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show" in mind. Annie Oakley's given name was Phoebe Ann Moses. She was raised to be a hunter by necessity, but became a true marksman known for her sharpshooting skills, which included shooting a dime out of midair. The name Annie is obviously a variation of Ann; the latter stems from the biblical name Hannah.

Belle

Belle may sound ultra-feminine, what with its French translation of "pretty" or "beautiful," but Belle Star, aka "the Bandit Queen," was one of the more notorious female outlaws of the Wild West. She hung out in saloons, allegedly stole horses, and scandalously wore buckskin pants rather than dresses – and died a rather violent death, as horse thieves often did back in the day.

Clara

Clara is a classic vintage name meaning "clear and bright." While there was likely many a woman named Clara of the era on the mean streets of Western Gold Rush towns, one in particular, Clara Brown, stands out. An early pioneer, Clara went from freed slave to entrepreneur to philanthropist. She made a fortune during the Gold Rush era with a laundry business, and used that money to help other freed slaves reunite with their families.

Clementine

Clementine is an Old French name, the feminine version of Clement, which translates oh so gently to "mild." While it carries vintage status – Clementine was the name of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's wife – this straight-up special name is enjoying a comeback. Many generations will remember the Western folk ballad "Oh My Darling Clementine," which landed this sweet name on our list. Activist, author, and historian Clementine Bordeaux is a lecturer of American Indian and indigenous studies who grew up in the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Jane

Jane first appeared in the early 17th century as a feminine form of John, and subsequently battled it out with another variation, Joan, as the most popular name of its time. The name quickly spread worldwide: famous Janes include Jane Austin, Jane Goodall, Jane Eyre, Jane Russell, Jane Seymour, and, last but not least, Calamity Jane, Missouri-born frontierswoman, fearless horsewoman, and sharpshooter from the late 1900s, one of whose signatures was preferring men's clothing. Like Annie Oakley, she toured with Buffalo Bill Cody and Sitting Bull in the 'Wild West Show."

Jolene

Jolene is a relatively modern creation, as far as names go. It's a combination of the name Jo, a diminutive of Joseph that means "God is merciful" or "He will increase"; and the suffix "lene," which means gentle, kind, and light. Jolene is also believed to be derived from the French word jolie, which means "pretty." The most well known reference to the name Jolene decidedly comes from Dolly Parton's epic country western anthem "Jolene."

Kacey

Kacey is a variation on the Gaelic-derived name Casey, meaning "vigilant," as well as on the Greek name Acacia, after a spiny tree that fits its name meaning "thorn" or "point." Texas-born Grammy and Country Music Award–winning singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves, with her many hits like the song "Slow Burn," has become one of the more notable namesakes. Kacey, Kacee, or Casey, this dynamic name is a winner.

Nancy

Nancy, perhaps surprisingly, is a variation on Ann, which in turn came from old school Agnes. Nancy made this Western-inspired name list solely because of the Beatles song "Rocky Raccoon," which features Nancy, the girl of Rocky's fancy, who inspired a love triangle that resulted in Rocky being shot in a South Dakota saloon shoot-out. Nancy is a strong name easily pictured as both a female bronco rider or a femme fatale.

Nellie

Nellie is most often a nickname for other names, like Eleanor, Ellen, Helen, Helena, Cornelia, or even Penelope. On its own, it means "bright one" or "shining one." Nellie Tayloe Ross was the first female governor of a U.S. state – Wyoming – and the first female director of the U.S. Mint. Nellie Miller is a champion rodeo barrel racer out of California. Nellie is a perfectly auspicious name for a pioneering girl.

Pearl

Pearl is a strong and timeless name as pretty and polished as the sea-harvested gem. Pearl Hart was an impoverished mother from Canada before – allegedly inspired by Annie Oakley – she moved to Arizona to take up a life of crime. Pearl Zane Grey was an American author who specialized in Western-themed books about the American frontier. And let's not neglect to mention Minnie Pearl from the Grand Ole Opry! Pearl has just the right shine and twang to be a quintessential Western-themed name.

Wanda

Wanda, a name of Slavic-German origin, is believed to mean "to wander," so it embodies the cowgirl spirit. (Though not known as a rider, Princess Wanda is a legendary princess in another story from Polish folklore.) Barrel racer Wanda Harper Bush is an inductee of both the National Cowgirl Museum and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame for her 32 World Champion Rodeo titles. This Texas-born extreme athlete before "extreme sports" existed was called the "greatest horsewoman of all time."

Winona

Winona, also spelled Wynonna, means "first daughter" in the language of the indigenous American Dakota Sioux tribe. Actress Winona Ryder and American country music singer Wynonna Judd are two well-known namesakes. Wenonah was the mother of Hiawatha in Henry Longfellow's epic poem "The Song of Hiawatha." However you spell it, this is a signature girl's name from the Wild West.

Western baby names that are unisex

Cassidy

Cassidy comes from an Irish surname meaning "curly haired." Hopalong Cassidy was a fictional cowboy character created by Western fiction short story series author Clarence E. Mulford. Cassidy apparently hopped as he walked as the result of a gun wound. Real-life outlaw, Butch Cassidy, was famously depicted by actor Paul Newman in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The Grateful Dead song "Cassidy," with the lyrics "I have seen where the wolf has slept by the silver stream," conjures the untouched wildness of the historical American West.

Cody

Cody is a popular unisex name that conjures up the town of the same name in Wyoming, as well as Old West American showman Buffalo Bill Cody. Cody as a given name (also spelled Kody) means "helpful one." When it comes to professional rodeo, the name Cody is wildly popular. There are too many bull-riding Codys to list here, but one, Cody Lambert, a former rodeo cowboy, is now the vice president of the Professional Bull Riders, an association he co-founded.

Gamble

Gamble is an unlikely name for a new baby, but its definition, "to take a risky action in hope of its success," personifies the first settlers of the Old West who took a giant leap into unknown territory. (It also sounds like a perfect metaphor for parenting.) Of Old Norse origin that translates likewise as "old," Gamble is probably not a baby name that will soon hit the most-popular charts, but with its dynamic Western flavor, and gender-neutral feel, it should.

Jessie

Jesse is a name from the Old Testament meaning "gift." This gender-neutral name has dusty prairie written all over it. From Jesse James, the notorious outlaw train robber to Jessie the free-spirited, yodeling, fictional cowgirl in the Pixar film Toy Story to Jessie Aarons from Bridge to Terabithia to Christina Applegate's Jesse Warner, this strong, sibilant name can be just as feminine or masculine as you want it to be.

Oakley

Oakley is on trend as a plant-based unisex given name today, but in Wild Western days it was most commonly a surname, specifically that of one sharp-shooting daughter of a gun, Annie Oakley (see above). Author Oakley Hall was an American novelist specializing in the Western genre series, most famously Legends West Trilogy. Since 2013, Oakley has gained steam as an up-and-coming gender-neutral name.

Remington

Remington is a name that's shot to the top of charts of late, boosted by the nickname Remy. The name is inevitably colored by beloved American painter Frederic Remington's iconic images of 19th century Old West. Also from the 1800s, American firearms manufacturer Remington Arms is a household Western word for many. The name means "settlement near a stream," evoking simple images of early pioneers. Singer Kelly Clarkson named her son Remington, and the '80s TV crime drama Remington Steele also influenced the popularity of this name. As a name for a boy or a girl, Remington is practically neck and neck on the BabyCenter baby names list.

Western baby boy names

Bass

Bass made the list in honor of cowboy Bass Reeves, who was born a slave in Arkansas, and, once freed, became the first Black deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi River. Known as a valiant lawman, he apprehended thousands of outlaws. He fled from slavery and took refuge in Indian territory until he was freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

Cash

Cash is a go-to Western-themed boy's name. What with American legend Johnny Cash singing songs like "Don't take your guns to town" and putting out albums like Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West and The Ballads of the American Indian: Bitter Tears – a music and spoken-word tribute to the plight of Native Americans – many of Cash's songs and albums, defined by his famous baritone voice, stir up a longing for simpler times, while evoking the old American West. Cash is sometimes a diminutive for Cassius.

Colt

Colt is surely one of the more obvious Wild West–themed names. With etymology including the meaning "young male horse," it's not hard to imagine a lanky cowboy type earning the name, or nickname, Colt. Samuel Colt had the first U.S. patent on what is commonly known as the revolving cylinder handgun, including the popular Colt revolver. Horses and guns: two of the things we think of first when we hear "Wild West." This name is short for Colton as well as being used as a stand-alone given name.

Hank

Hank is a name clearly and familiarly Western inflected – thanks to the steel guitar playing of country music great Hank Williams – but its origins are unclear. A nickname for Henry, meaning "ruler," this name is also thought to stem from the diminutive Dutch version of Henry, Henk. Hank Aaron's historic prowess on the baseball field is still a vivid image for all generations. Once just a nickname, Hank has grown in popularity as a given name in the past decade.

Jarrod

Jarrod is the name of the oldest Barkley son in the 1970s blockbuster Western-themed TV drama The Big Valley. Also spelled Jared, this rugged-sounding name has roots in the Bible. While it means "descent" in Hebrew, it nevertheless has a natural sort of cowboy swagger to it. Despite being a J name, this boy's name has stayed out of the mainstream in the best possibly way.

Joseph

Joseph is the name of a noteworthy Native American leader of the Pacific Northwest Nez Perce tribe. He is known for attempting to lead his people on a journey to Canada to escape being forced by White settlers to live in a reservation. Chief Joseph, whose given name means "rolling down the mountain like thunder," was named after his father, also a leader, called Joseph the Elder. And let's not forget dreamy Little Joe, played by a young Michael Landon, in the TV Western series, Bonanza.

Lane

Lane is a very poignant honor name with a Western theme here, due to the memory of Lane Frost, the late rodeo cowboy who was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. He won his first bull-riding award when he was just 10 years old and was a World Champion rider at age 24. (Sadly, Frost died too young doing what he loved.) Lane also reminds us of Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond's rancher husband, Ladd, as another one-syllable and no-nonsense name for your little rancher in training.

Levi

Levi is no-brainer when it comes to Western-themed names. Far older even than the Old West, Levi has deep roots in the Bible. The Hebrew meaning of this smart, self-assured name ("joined" or "adhered") is fitting given that Levi Strauss was the founder of the world's first riveted blue jean manufacturing company, Levi Strauss & Co. While seamless Wranglers may be the go-to rodeo fashion, Levi jeans, and anyone named Levi, has dust-covered cowboy written all over them.

Maverick

Maverick, while it happens to be another brand name for blue jeans, has a meaning all of its own that conjures the Wild West. With the definition "independent minded," it became the term for an open-ranging cow that wasn't branded or part of a herd. The roots of the term go to 19th-century Texas rancher Samuel Maverick, who chose not to brand his cattle because he thought it was cruel. This outlier name didn't make it to the top 1,000 Social Security list until 1958 but, with the help of Top Gun actor Tom Cruise, Maverick may soon be hitting warp speed.

Tanner

Tanner is one of those hip- and easy-sounding occupational names – think Smith or Cooper – that just oozes Western charm. As testament, we have Tanner Byrne, one of the most formidable professional bull riders out there. There's also Tanner Hall, a professional free skier from Montana, kind of like a snow cowboy (added touch to the theme: he's sponsored by Red Bull). The historical occupational name means "leather maker," from the process of using tree bark to color leather. A great muscular name for an active spirit.

Waylon

Waylon is likely a variation on the name Wayland, which comes via Wieland of German mythology, and means "smith" or "craftsman." We have Waylon Jennings, a pioneer in the outlaw country music movement, to thank for the Western association when it comes to this name. Waylon teamed up with singer Willie Nelson to write the hit song "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys." As a result, Waylon will always be a name that conjures cowboy boots and spurs.

Wesson

Wesson only just appeared on baby name lists around 2016. Perhaps the association with the common cooking oil by the same name is finally being outshined by the original cache of the Smith and Wesson rifle company and returning the name to its Western roots. Some sources say Wesson is an alternative to the popular given name Weston, which literally derives from "western settlement." Daniel Baird Wesson was an American firearms designer, celebrated for essentially inventing the lever-action pistol. As a bonus, Wes is an adorable nickname.

Wyatt

Wyatt is a name that's been around for so long, it's believed to be derived from a medieval surname meaning "brave battle." It's also theorized to come from a Norman name meaning "wood." Either way, it's a name with legs – perhaps bowed from years of riding in battle, or riding bucking broncos, or galloping after runaway trains. Wyatt Earp, the gunslinging, gambling frontiersman most famous for taking part in the gunfight at the O.K. corral in Tombstone, Arizona is the most famous Wyatt. Speaking of fame, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have a daughter named Wyatt.