Famous Cowboy Names

(To be more precise, Famous Cowboy and Cowgirl, i.e., Cowperson, Names)

Legends of the Old West

(Also see Western Movie Stars and Western Characters of Film and TV)

he following list (in alphabetical order of first name) is of 48 actual personalities of the Old West. Not included are the many lesser lawmen, outlaws, gunfighters and cowboys. Also not included are eastern pioneers, such as Daniel Boone, because they belong to, shall we say, the Old East. The source for much information here is from Legends of America and various Wikipedia entries.

Popular Name

Image

Birth Name

Born - Died

Claim to Fame

Cause of Death

Annie Oakley

Phoebe Ann Oakley Moses

Aug 13, 1860

–

Nov 3, 1926

Sharpshooter and exhibition shooter; starred in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show (more)

pernicious anemia

“Bat” Masterson

William Barclay Masterson

Nov 27, 1853

–

Oct 25, 1921

Gunfighter, gambler, sheriff's deputy alongside Wyatt Earp, newspaper columnist (more)

heart attack

Belle Starr

(The Bandit Queen)

Myra Belle Shirley Reed Starr

Feb 5, 1848

–

Feb 3, 1889

Rustling, horse stealing, bootlegging whiskey (more)

shot from ambush

Bill Doolin

William Doolin

in 1858

–

Aug 24, 1896

Bandit, founder of the Wild Bunch gang (more)

shot by US Marshall Heck Thomas

Bill Pickett

(The Bull-Dogger)

William Pickett

Dec 5, 1870

–

Apr 2, 1932

Rodeo cowboy; introduced bulldogging (more)

kicked in the head by a horse

Bill Tilghman

William Matthew Pickett

July 4, 1854

–

Nov 1, 1924

Deputy sheriff, gunfighter, saloon owner (more)

shot by a corrupt prohibition agent

Billy the Kid

William Henry McCarty (Aka: Henry Antrim, William H. Bonney)

Nov 24, 1859

–

July 14, 1881

Outlaw, gunfighter, member of the Regulators gang (more)

shot by Pat Garrett

Black Bart

Charles E. Boles (Also Bolles)

in 1829

–

circa 1888

Good-mannered stage coach robber (more)

unknown, last seen February 28, 1888

“Black Jack” Ketchum

Thomas Edward Ketchum

Oct 31, 1863

–

Apr 26, 1901

Cowboy turned robber, member of Hole in the Wall gang (more)

hangedary 28, 1888

Bose Ikard

July, 1847

–

Jan 4, 1929

Cowboy, helped in opening up the Goodnight Loving Trail (more)

Buffalo Bill

William Frederick Cody

Feb 26, 1846

–

Jan 10, 1917

Organized Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, an outdoor extravaganza (more)

kidney failure

Butch Cassidy

Robert LeRoy Parker

Apr 13, 1866

–

Nov 6, 1909

Robber; member of the Wild Bunch gang (more)

suicide while surrounded and trapped

Calamity Jane

Martha Jane Cannary

May 1, 1852

–

Aug 1, 1903

Sharpshooter, prospector, rowdy prostitute, gambler, heavy drinker (more)

alcoholism

Charles Goodnight

Mar 5, 1836

–

Dec 12, 1929

Cattledriver; founded the Goodnight-Loving Trail; invented the chuck wagon (more)

old age

Chris Madsen

Christian “Chris” Madsen

Dec 25, 1851

–

Jan 9, 1944

Danish born gunfighter; U.S. Deputy Marshal in Oklahoma; member of the Three Guardsmen crimefighers (more)

old age

Clay Allison

Robert Clay Allison

Sep 2, 1840

–

July 3, 1887

Ruthless killer, gunfighter (more)

broken neck from accident

Connie Douglas Reeves

Connie Douglas

Sep 26, 1901

–

Aug 17, 2003

Cowgirl who taught thousands of girls how to ride horses at Texas's Camp Waldemar (more)

thrown from a horse at age 101

Dalton brothers (Included George “Bitter Creek” Newcomb, “Blackfaced” Charlie Bryant, Bill Doolin, Dick Broadwell, and Bill Powers.)
Grat Dalton	Gratton Hanley Dalton	in 1861 – Oct 5, 1892	Train, bank robber (more)	shot during a bank robbery
Bob Dalton	Robert Rennick Dalton	in 1869 – Oct 5, 1892	Train, bank robber (more)	shot during a bank robbery
Emmett Dalton	Emmett Dalton	in 1871 – July 13, 1937	Train, bank robber, real estate agent, author and actor (more)	fatal illness

Deadwood Dick

Nat Love

June 14, 1854

–

circa 1921

Cowboy; won every competition and $200 prize at July 4, 1876 Deadwood cowboy contest (more)

Doc Holliday

John Henry Holliday

Aug 14, 1851

–

Nov 8, 1887

Dentist, gambler, and gunfighter; at the O.K. Corral gunfight (more)

consumption (tuberculosis)

Elfego Baca

Feb 10, 1865

–

Aug 27, 1945

lawman, lawyer, and politician; ‘Frisco Shootout’ incident where Elfego faced 80 men firing 4,000 shots at the home where he was cornered (more)

old age

Frank Canton

Josiah Horner

Sep 15, 1849

–

Sep 27, 1927

Lawman, gunslinger, cowboy and at one point in his life, an outlaw (more)

old age

Frank James

Alexander Frank James

Jan 10, 1843

–

Feb 18, 1915

Bank robber; rode with William Quantrill's raiders; later shoe salesman (more)

heart Failure

Heck Thomas

Henry A. Thomas

Jan 3, 1850

–

Aug 15, 1912)

Peace officer, tracked down and killed outlaw Bill Doolin (more)

of Bright's disease

Jedediah Smith

Jedediah Strong Smith

Jan 6, 1799

–

May 27, 1831

Hunter, trapper, fur trader and explorer of the American West Coast (more)

killed by Comanche Indians

Jesse James

Jesse Woodson James

Sep 5, 1847

–

Apr 3, 1882

Bank and train robber, killer; member of outlaw Clement gang; (more)

shot from the back by Robert Ford

John Wesley Hardin

May 26, 1853

–

Aug 19, 1895

Gunfighter, killer; claimed to have killed 44 men (more)

shot in the back by lawman John Selman

Johnny Ringo

John Peters Ringo

May 3, 1850

–

July 13, 1882

Robber, killer; member of Clanton gang (more)

gun shot suicide

Kid Curry

Harvey Logan

in 1867

–

June 17, 1904

Outlaw, gunman, “wildest of the Wild Bunch” (more)

suicide during gun battle

King Fisher

John King Fisher

in 1854

–

Mar 11, 1884

Gunfighter, gang leader, rancher (more)

shot as he leapt from a theater balcony

Kit Carson

Christopher Houston Carson

Dec 24, 1809

–

May 23, 1868

Scout, trapper; much involved with Indian affairs (more)

aortic aneurysm

Oliver Loving

Dec 4, 1812

–

Sep 25, 1867

First cattledriver; founded the Goodnight-Loving Trail; “The Dean of Texas Trail Drivers” (more)

gangrene from a battle wound

Pat Garrett

Patrick Floyd Garrett

June 5, 1850

–

Feb 28, 1908

Sheriff in New Mexico, bartender, and customs agent; killed Billy the Kid (more)

shot during an argument

Sam Bass

July, 21 1851

–

July 21, 1878

Train robber (more)

gun shot wounds

Sundance Kid, the

Harry Alonzo Longabaugh

Spring, 1867

–

Nov 6, 1909

Robber; member of the Wild Bunch gang (more)

suicide while surrounded and trapped

Texas Jack

John Baker Omohundro

July 26, 1846

–

June 28, 1880

Frontier scout, actor, and cowboy; first performer to do roping acts on stage (more)

pneumonia

“Texas John” Slaughter

John Slaughter

Oct 2, 1841

–

Feb 16, 1922)

a Civil War veteran, trail-driver, cattleman, Texas Ranger, sheriff, gambler, and state representative (more)

stroke

Tom Horn

Tom Horn (Aka: James Hicks)

Nov 21, 1860

–

Nov 20, 1903

Lawman, scout, soldier, hired gunman, detective, outlaw and assassin (more)

hanged

Wild Bill Hickok

James Butler Hickok

May 27, 1837

–

Aug 2, 1876

Marksman, professional gambler, gunfighter, scout, lawman (more)

shot in the back of the head

Will Rogers

William Penn Adair Rogers

Nov 7, 1879

–

Aug 5, 1935

Humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, actor, newspaper columnist (more)

plane crash over Alaska

William Longley

William Preston Longley

Oct 6, 1851

–

Oct 11, 1878

outlaw, ruthless and ill-tempered gunfighter; killed at least 32 people (more)

hanged

Wyatt Earp

Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp

Mar 19, 1848

–

Jan 13, 1929

Lawman, gambler; in gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Tombstone, Arizona (more)

natural causes

The Younger Gang (Included Clell Miller, Arthur McCoy, Charlie Pitts, John Jarrette, and Bill Chadwell)
Bob Younger	Robert Ewing Younger	Oct 29, 1853 – Sep 16, 1889	Train, bank robber (more)	tuberculosis in prison
Cole Younger	Thomas Coleman Younger	Jan 15, 1844 – March 21, 1916	Train, bank robber; lectured and toured with Frank James in a wild west show (more)	old age
John Younger	John Harrison Younger	in 1851 – March 17, 1874	Train, bank robber, killer (more)	shot in the neck
Jim Younger	James Hardin Younger	Jan 15, 1848 – Oct 19, 1902	Rancher, train, bank robber (more)	committed suicide

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