102 "Yellowstone" Baby Names for Boys and Girls
Yellowstone was “the most watched show across all of TV in 2022 and the most watched cable premiere since 2017’s “The Walking Dead.” Airing on the Paramount Network, this popular program had almost 16 million viewers on their season five premiere night.
The popularity surrounding this neo-western makes it no surprise that expectant parents are finding the names of “Yellowstone” characters exceptionally appealing.
In fact, the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) 2023 list of the most popular baby names saw names from Yellowstone like “Dutton,” “Rip,” and "Kaycee" explode in popularity!
For those who haven’t jumped on the Yellowstone bandwagon just yet and want to know why these cowboy names are ranking so high on baby name lists, we have rounded up some reasons why choosing a Yellowstone name is a solid choice.
Related: 75 Cowgirl and Cowboy Names for Your Little Buckeroo
Why Yellowstone Names Are Rising in Popularity
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, “the top five fastest rising boys’ and girls’ names” include Dutton and Kayce as the top two most popular baby names of the year.
For those who haven’t tuned into this alluring show, the Duttons are a fictional family that owns one of the largest ranches in the United States. Their cattle business is located in Montana, which immediately provides a breathtaking backdrop to the show’s suspense-filled script.
Add in the fact that the head of the family is played by Golden Globe and Academy Award winner Kevin Costner, and suddenly, the intrigue builds.
Costner’s son Kayce Dutton, played by actor Luke Grimes, has also quickly become a fan-favorite character. This fictional former Navy Seal seems to always have the best intentions but regularly finds trouble in his path.
One of the other most notable Yellowstone names topping boy name lists is “Rip” after the character of Rip Wheeler. Cole Hauser’s portrayal of this brooding cowboy has made his character name remarkably popular! Organicbabyformula.com conducted a survey of “the top 100 shows from Rotten Tomatoes from 2020-2022 to see which character names from those shows grew in popularity for new children.” It found that the number of babies named Rip has increased by over 2300% since 2018!
Finally, since the start of the television series, the show has had two spinoffs, called 1883 and 1923, which are both prequels to the original series. 1883 also brought its own spinoff, Lawmen: Bass Reeves.
The Yellowstone expanded universe has provided even more enticing character names to choose from for your sweet little one. Creator Taylor Sheridan is working on yet another spinoff called 6666, which will be set in West Texas at the 6666 Ranch. Fans can expect the release of this Yellowstone-inspired show in late 2023 or early 2024.
Until then, take a look at some of the best Yellowstone-inspired baby names to see if you want to choose one for your baby boy or baby girl!
Boy Names Inspired by Yellowstone and Meanings
- Banner - Of English, German, and French origins, this name means “flag.”
- Ben - A Hebrew name meaning “behold,” “a son,” and “son of my right hand.”
- Bob - This is an Old English name meaning “bright” or “famous.”
- Carter - An Old English name meaning “cart driver.”
- Colby - This is a Hebrew name meaning “faithful,” “dog,” and “bold” as well as an English name meaning “dark-haired.”
- Dan - Of Hebrew origins, this title means “God is my judge.”
- Dennis - This is a Greek name meaning “fine wine lover.”
- Doug - Of Old English origins, this name means “dark water.”
- Dutton - An Old English name meaning “hill settlement.” This is pop culture’s top baby name for 2022.
- Emmett - Meaning “all-embracing” in German, this is a unique girl’s name. However, it can also be a boy’s name, and in this instance, it has English origins and means “hard worker” and “truth.”
- Ennis - This is an Irish girl’s name meaning “sole or only choice” and a Greek boy’s name meaning “praised.”
- Ethan - A Latin name meaning “constant.”
- Felix - Of Latin origins, this epithet means “happiness.”
- Jack - This is a Hebrew name meaning “supplanter” or “God’s grace.”
- Jacob - A Hebrew name meaning “supplanter.”
- Jake - Another Hebrew name meaning “the supplanter.”
- James - Of Hebrew origins, this name also means “supplanter.”
- Jamie - This is a gender-neutral Hebrew name that means “he who supplants.”
- Jimmy - Yet another Hebrew name that means “supplanter.”
- John - A Hebrew name meaning “God’s grace” and a Greek name meaning “God is good.” John Dutton is the head of the Dutton family in the Yellowstone series.
- Josef - This is a Hebrew name meaning “He shall add.”
- Kayce - Another version of the name Casey, this name means “alert,” “vigilant,” “watchful,” and “brave.” The male version of this title also has Slavic origins meaning “peacemaker.” Kayce Dutton is one of the main characters in the series.
- Klaus - A Greek and German name meaning “victorious people.”
- Lee - Of Old French origins, this name means “the king.”
- Lloyd - This is an Old Welsh name meaning “gray-haired.”
- Martin - This is a Latin girl’s name meaning “warlike” or “who loves everyone” and an English boy’s name meaning “warrior of Mars” or “warlike.”
- Mikel - A Hebrew name meaning “who is like God” and an Italian name meaning “God's angel” or “messenger.”
- Ravi - This is a Hindi title meaning “benevolent” or “sun god” and an Old English title meaning “ravine.”
- Rip - Of Old English origins, this title means “dweller in the noisy meadow.”
- Ryan - A Gaelic name meaning “little king.”
- Shea - This is an Old English name meaning “hawk-like” or “stately.”
- Spencer - An Old English name that means “dispenser” or “keeper.”
- Tate - This is an Old English name meaning “cheerful” and a Native American name meaning “long-winded talker.”
- Teal - Of American, English, and Scandinavian origins, this color name means “greenish-blue color” or “a duck.”
- Thomas - A Greek name meaning “twin.”
- Torry - This is a Japanese girl’s name meaning “bird” and an Irish boy’s name meaning “from the low hills.”
- Wade - A Middle English name meaning “a ford” and an English name meaning “southerner.”
- Walker - Of English origins, this name means “distinctive.”
- Zane - An Arabic name meaning “beloved” and a Hebrew name meaning “God is gracious.”
Girl Names Inspired by Yellowstone and Meanings
- Alina - Of Greek origins, this name means “light” or “truth.”
- Alexandra - A Greek and English name meaning “defender of mankind.”
- Angela - This is a Greek and Italian name meaning “heavenly messenger.”
- Avery - A gender-neutral name with English origins that means “counselor.”
- Beth - This is a Hebrew title meaning “God's oath,” “dedicated,” and “consecrated to God.”
- Cara - A Latin name meaning “dearest,” an Irish name meaning “friend,” and an Italian name meaning “beloved one.”
- Caroline - Of French origins, this epithet means “strong.”
- Christina - This is a Greek name meaning “anointed.”
- Elizabeth - Of Hebrew origins, this name means “God's oath,” “dedicated,” and “consecrated to God.”
- Elsa - This is a Scottish name meaning “island dweller” and a Hebrew name meaning “God's oath,” “dedicated,” and “consecrated to God.”
- Emily - A Latin name meaning “eager.”
- Emma - Ranked in the top five most popular names by the Social Security Administration (SSA), this popular German name means “all-embracing.”
- Laramie - A French boy’s name meaning “pensive.” However, this is the name of one of the female ranch hands on the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.
- Lynelle - Of American origins, this epithet means “pretty.”
- Margaret - This is a German, Gaelic, Scottish, Greek, Persian, Hebrew, Irish, and Latin name meaning “pearl.”
- Mia - An Italian name meaning “mine” and a Scandinavian name meaning “star of the sea.”
- Monica - This is an Arabic name meaning “peaceful,” an Irish name meaning “noble,” and a Latin name meaning “advisor.”
- Montana - Of Spanish origins, this name means “mountain.” While not a character name, this is a Yellowstone place name.
- Risa - This is a Latin name meaning “laughing one.”
- Sarah - Of Hebrew origins, this girl’s title means “princess” or “lady.”
- Summer - An English and Arabic girl’s name meaning “summer season.”
Modern Western Baby Names with Meanings
- Abby - Of Hebrew origins, this girl’s name means “a father’s joy.” It is also a sweet nickname for Abilene.
- Annie - An English girl’s name that means “grace." It is also a Hebrew girl’s name that means “gift of God’s favor.”
- Boone - This is a Latin boy’s name meaning “good.”
- Buck - An Old English boy’s name meaning “meadow of deer.”
- Cassidy - Of Irish, Gaelic, and Celtic origins, this sweet western girl’s name means “clever.”
- Cheyenne - A Hebrew girl’s name meaning “grace” and a Native American girl’s name meaning “courage.”
- Clementine - This is a beautiful Latin and Polish girl’s name meaning “mild” and “merciful.”
- Daisy - A Latin girl’s name meaning “day’s eye.”
- Dolly - This is a Greek name meaning “gift of God” and a Latin name meaning “lady of sorrows.”
- Duke - Of Latin and Celtic origins, this male title means “leader” and “leader of the seas.”
- Emery - This unisex title has Latin origins and means “loving.”
- Evie - A Hebrew girl's name meaning “life.”
- Hallie - Of Norse and Irish origins, this girl’s name translates to “hero” and “wise one,” respectively.
- Jesse - This is a unisex name of Hebrew origin that means “God’s gift.”
- June - A Latin girl’s name meaning “young.”
- Loretta - This is an English name that means “small” or “wise one” and a Latin name that means “honor,” “fame,” or “spirit.”
- Maybelle - Of Latin origins, this feminine name means “lovable.”
- Nash - An Old English boy name that means “cliff.”
- Oakley - Of Old English origins, this Western boy's name means “from the oak meadow.” However, this can also be an adorable name for a little girl thanks to Annie Oakley.
- Rhett - This is an Old Welsh boy’s name meaning “enthusiastic” and a Dutch boy’s name meaning “advice.”
- Riggs - Of Northern English origins, this boy’s name means “someone who lives on a ridge.”
- Ryder - An Old English boy’s name meaning “horseman.”
- Sawyer - Of Middle English origins, this gender-neutral Western name means “woodsman.”
- Wesley - This is an Old English boy’s name that means “west meadow.”
- Wilder - Of English, German, Danish, and Jewish origins, this version of the word wild means “uncontrolled.”
- Windley - An Old English name meaning “meadow clearing.”
- Wyatt - Of Old English and French origins, this boy’s name means “little warrior” and “water.”
Neo-Cowboy Baby Names
Yellowstone and its spinoff series are not the only neo-cowboy shows that are bringing these Western titles to the forefront of baby name lists. Walker and Outer Range are also popular shows in this genre that can bring parents even more inspiration!
- Abbott - This is an Arabic boy's name for “father.”
- Autumn - A Latin girl name meaning “of woods.”
- Billy - This unisex title means “resolution” or “wise” in English and “fierce protector” in Teutonic.
- Cecelia - Of Latin origins, this beautiful girl’s name means “blind one.”
- Colton - This is an English boy’s name meaning “coal town.”
- Cordell - A Latin boy’s name meaning “rope.”
- Gale - Of Irish and Old Norse origins, this girl’s name means “stranger” and “to sing,” respectively. It can also be a boy’s name. In that case, it has English origins meaning “lively.”
- Geri - This is a German girl’s name meaning “hard spear.”
- Joy - A Latin girl’s name that means “rejoice.”
- Liam - This is an Irish boy’s name meaning “unwavering protector.”
- Luke - A Latin and English name meaning “bringer of light” and a French name meaning “light” or “laidback.”
- Perry - Of French origins, this unisex name means “pear tree.”
- Royal - This is an Old French name for boys that means “regal one.”
- Stella - Of Latin origins, this elegant epithet means “star.”
- Wayne - An Old English name that means “wagon maker.”
How to Choose a Meaningful Baby Name Inspired by Yellowstone
When it comes to choosing a name for your sweet baby boy or girl that is inspired by this pop culture classic, you need to think about the person you hope your baby will become.
Will they be a rough and tumble cowboy who always puts family first, the stoic ranch hand who fixes any problem that comes his way, or the fiery female who knows her way around a boardroom?
This TV show has created some memorable characters, so choose the moniker that you think your child will best portray! We have over 100 names in our corral that are all inspired by Yellowstone and its many spinoff shows, so ride on through and find the best one for you!
And for more baby name ideas, check out: 101 Country Boy Names for Your Country Bumpkin
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