Geography | Literary References | Names & Their Meanings | Hyphenated | Unisex | Country Western Inspired
Anyone raised on The Waltons knows that country boys often have multiple names or at least one that comes from the Bible.
Father “John” and grandfather “Zebulon” had Biblical names, while “John Boy” and “Jim Bob” follow a southern tradition of naming boys with double names that are intended to be kept together and not used just when mom or grandma is mad.
Modern parents can pick up on either of these traditions or follow our curated name list of country-inspired baby boy names that honor Southern or country-western roots.
Country Boy Names
Southern names for boys might reflect old-fashioned Southern references, the names of cities or states in the South, or characters from books or movies that took place in the south.
Geography
- Austin – “great and magnificent”
- Dallas – “meadow dwelling”
- Houston – “settlement on the hill”
- Tennessee – “gathering place”
- Texas / Tex – “friends”
Literary References
- Atticus – from To Kill A Mockingbird ;” belonging to Attica, a region in Athens, Greece”
- Faulkner honoring southern writer William Faulkner; “keeper and trainer of falcons”
- Finch: Another To Kill a Mockingbird name; “bird” or “to swindle”
- Finn – from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; “white or fair”
- Huck: Inspired by Huck Finn; “bog”
Country Baby Boy Names & Their Meanings
These names are inspired by the American south as any names you’ll find on the web.
- Alden “old, wise friend”
- Asher / Ash – “blessed, happy”
- Beau – “beautiful”
- Beckett – “bee cottage or little brook
- Bradley – ” broad meadow”
- Brooks – “residing near a stream or brook”
- Calvin – “little, bald one”
- Camden – “winding valley”
- Clyde – river in Scotland
- Cole – “Charcoal”
- Colt – “young, frisky horse”
- Dane – “God is my judge”
- Dawson – ” son of David”
- Davis – “beloved”
- Deacon – “a servant or messenger of God”
- Drew – “wise”
- Duke – inspired by the Southern university; “leader or son of Marmaduke”
- Emerson – “Emery’s son”
- Emmett – “universal”
- Everett – “brave, strong boar”
- Frederick – “peaceful ruler”
- Gage – “Oath, pledge”
- Grayson – “son of the steward”
- Grey – “grey-haired”.
- Grover – “grove of trees”
- Harley – “hare’s meadow”
- Harper – “harp player”
- Harris – “son of Harry or home ruler”
- Harrison: This name also means son of Harry.
- Hastings – “son of the austere man”
- Hayes – “hedged area”
- Henry – “ruler of the home”
- Jackson – “God has been gracious”
- James – “supplanter”
- Jasper – “treasurer”
- Jed – Hebrew origin, meaning “Beloved of the Lord”
- Jennings – Inspired by Waylon Jennings
- Jones – “God is gracious”
- Julep – “rosewater”
- Keaton – “place of hawks”
- Knox – “round-topped hill”
- Leon – “lion”
- Levi- “joined together or attached”
- Malcolm – “devotee of Saint Columba”
- Marvin – “marrow and eminent”
- Mason – “one who works with stone”
- Mercer – “merchant”
- Montgomery – “Gomeric’s hill”
- Nash – “by the ash tree”
- Nathan – “gift of God”
- Ned – “guardian of the riches”
- Nolan – “champion”
- Otis – “wealth or son of Otto”
- Parker- “keeper”
- Percy – “diminutive form of Percival”
- Presley – “priest’s meadow” or a tribute to Elvis
- Price – “son of Rhys or enthusiasm”
- Quinn – “counsel”
- Reed – “red-haired”
- Remy – “oarsman”
- Rhett – “advice”
- Rufus – “red-haired”
- Sawyer – “woodcutter”
- Sellers – “merchant or employed in the cellar”
- Sutton – “Southern settlement”
- Thaddeus –”courageous heart”
- Theo – “brave people”
- Tierney – “lord or master”
- Todd – “fox”
- Truman – “loyal one”
- Tucker – “all-heart”
- Vaughn – “small, little”
- Vernon – “place of alders”
- Walker – “fuller of cloth”, “inspector of a certain part of the forest”, or “traveler”
- Wells – “spring”
- Wesley – “western meadow”
- Wyatt – “hardy, brave, and strong”
Twice As Country Southern Double Names
Since the end of the 17th century, giving children as many as 10 names became popular to prove a family’s high status. While this many names never caught on, double naming was quite popular in Europe and came to the US South with Irish, Scott, and French immigrants who settled in there. It can:
- Honor or commemorate two family members
- Increase the number of saints’ names
- Give a distinctive Southern spin to two common names
- Work well with accents due to its having three or more syllables in most cases
- Include a family name as one of the names
- Forego or merge the middle name
The combinations are endless.
When children are not called by their full double name, they can have a nickname of initials, a shortened form of one or both names, or another random diminutive. Someone named Anthony James, for example, can go by AJ, Tony, TJ, Jimmy, or Tony James.
When delivered with a Southern lilt, any of these double names can work:
- Aaron-Jay
- Andrew-James
- Alfie-Jay
- Beau-Alexander
- Benjamin-Grey
- Billy-Jo
- Cody-Lee
- Corey-James
- Ethan-Lee
- George-Frances
- Glendon-Dean
- Issac-Andrew
- James-Dean
- James-Richard
- James-Robert (the long form of the Waltons’ Jim-Bob)
- Jaiden-Lee
- Jayden-Lee
- Jean-Philippe
- Jesse-James
- Jesse-Lee
- John-Paul
- John-Peter
- John-Preston
- Jonathan-James
- Joshua-Lee
- Joshua-Raymond
- Logan-James
- Michael-John
- Michael-Kai
- Oliver-James
- Ray-Jay
- Reggie-Lee
- Thomas-Lee
- Tucker-Davis
- Tyler-James
- William-Lee
Unisex Names Variations
While boys are usually the ones with double names, some unisex versions are popular.
- Aeryn-Jo
- Aiden-Leigh
- Bailey-Ray
- Billie-Jo
- Haley-Joel
- Charlie-Wren
- Jamie-Lee
- Jessie-Blair
- Jo-Cooper
- Kendall-Dallas
- Marley-Blake
- Marley-Jay
- Quincey-Lee
- Riley-James:
- Skyler–Reese
Country Western Country Boy Names
Those who love the country might want to name their boy after a country singer or a famous cowboy or other country personality.
Willie Nelson, Gene Autry, Hank Williams, Brad Paisley, Wyatt Earp, or Blake Shelton might offer inspiration to the parents and easy-to-say and -spell names for kids that the parents relate with stores about concerts they attended or other stories about the namesake.
Some of the most popular choices might include:
- Austin
- Beau
- Billy
- Blake
- Blake-unisex
- Blaze
- Bo
- Bobby
- Boone
- Branson
- Brantley
- Brock
- Brooks
- Bryan
- Bryce
- Buck
- Buddy
- Butch
- Carson
- Carter
- Casey
- Cash
- Charlie
- Chase
- Clayton
- Clyde
- Cody
- Colt
- Colton
- Cristian
- Cyrus
- Dakota
- Dallas
- Dallas-unisex
- Derrick
- Dixon
- Donald
- Donel
- Duke
- Dusty
- Earl
- Easton
- Eugene
- Everett
- Ford
- Forrest
- Garth
- Gatlin
- Gene
- George
- Gilbert
- Grady
- Granger
- Hank
- Hardy
- Harlan
- Harold
- Harrison
- Hawk
- Hayes
- Henry
- Houston
- Huck
- Hunter (unisex)
- Jack
- Jackson
- James
- Jesse
- Joe
- Jonathan
- Landry
- Lane
- Lawson
- Layne
- Lee
- Logan
- Mack
- Mason
- Memphis
- Mick
- Nash
- Neil
- Nelson
- Oakley (unisex)
- Otis
- Porter
- Randy
- Ranger
- Ray
- Reed
- Remington-unisex
- Rhett
- Rhodes
- Ricky
- Ridge
- Riggs
- Rocky
- Roscoe
- Sawyer
- Shepherd
- Shiloh
- Sonny
- Sterling
- Stetson
- Stone
- Tanner
- Thatcher
- Timber
- Toby
- Trace
- Travis
- Tucker
- Wade
- Walker
- Waylon
- Wayne
- Weston
- Wilder
- Will
- Willie
- Wolf
- Wyatt
- Zane
For more country, southern, and western-inspired names, click here to peruse our list of Country Dog Names.
Click the links below to peruse our lists of boy names by letter.
