🤠 Old West Name Generator

Frontier names with a nickname to match, from Wade “Two-Gun” Colter to Lucky Etta.

By Rich · Updated

Generate Old West Names

Old West names for cowboys, outlaws and frontier folk: 19th-century American first names with a surname, and a nickname like Two-Gun or Deadeye.

Click "Generate Names" to see results

Free to use, no credit needed. If you're naming a business, brand, band or product, check the name isn't already taken or trademarked first.

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Example Old West Names

A few names this generator came up with. Press "Generate Names" above for more.

Any · Any

  • Doc Cora
  • Elijah Jennings
  • Caleb “Lucky” Dawson
  • Mae Bishop

Any · First name and nickname

  • Dutch Nettie
  • Lonesome Sallie
  • Tex Hank
  • Levi the Kid

Male · Any

  • Clay “Red” Langley
  • Snake-Eye Abel
  • Cole “Quickdraw” Garrett
  • Rufus “Mustang” Stone

Male · First name and nickname

  • Rattlesnake Lyle
  • Eli the Kid
  • Roscoe the Kid
  • Thaddeus the Kid

Female · Any

  • Delilah Kincaid
  • Ruby “Shotgun” Whitaker
  • Abigail “Deadeye” Brody
  • Tillie Reese

Female · First name and nickname

  • Cactus Lula
  • Sixgun Nell
  • Smiley Opal
  • Lefty Rosa

How the Old West Name Generator Works

It works from 105 names and name parts, which combine into over 33,000 possible results.

The choices:

  • Gender: Any, Male, Female.
  • Name format:
    • Any, e.g. Opal Grady
    • Nickname in the middle, e.g. Caleb “Whiskey” Whitaker
    • First name and nickname, e.g. Cactus Hank
    • First name and surname, e.g. Amos Reese

Each press gives you 8, 16 or 32 names (choose under "How many"), and you won't see the same one twice until you've been through everything for the choices you've made.

The Old West ran on nicknames. Henry McCarty became Billy the Kid, James Butler Hickok became Wild Bill, and Martha Jane Cannary became Calamity Jane. This Old West name generator uses first names common in 19th-century America, with a surname and the kind of nickname that followed people from town to town.

Real names behind the legends

  • Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty, and also used the name William H. Bonney.
  • Wild Bill Hickok was James Butler Hickok.
  • Calamity Jane was Martha Jane Cannary.
  • Butch Cassidy was Robert LeRoy Parker; his partner, the Sundance Kid, was Harry Longabaugh, nicknamed after the jail in Sundance, Wyoming.
  • Annie Oakley, the sharpshooter, was born Phoebe Ann Mosey.

A nickname could hide a past, make a reputation or both, which is why so many outlaws had several.

Making your western name

  • The nickname does the work. Two-Gun, Deadeye and Quickdraw make a reputation; Lefty and Dusty make a character.
  • Plain first names fit the period: Eli, Wade and Silas; Etta, Hattie and Pearl.
  • Give it a story. How did Lucky get the name, and is it still true?

For other periods, see the Victorian Name Generator.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Billy the Kid's real name?

Henry McCarty. He also used the name William H. Bonney.

How did the Sundance Kid get his name?

Harry Longabaugh was jailed in Sundance, Wyoming, as a young man, and the nickname stuck.

What are good cowboy nicknames?

Short and descriptive: Two-Gun, Deadeye, Lucky, Dusty, Lefty, Tex. Use "First name and nickname" for names like Lucky Etta.

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