‘Yellowstone’ Effect: Western Baby Names on the Rise

Taylor Sheridan‘s Western dramas have helped make cowboy culture cool again, from country music discoveries to a growing fascination with ranch life.

Now, the Yellowstone effect may be showing up somewhere a little more permanent: baby names.

Baby-name experts say Western-themed names have been gaining popularity alongside the rise of country music and shows like Yellowstone and Landman.

And some of the names parents are choosing sound as though they could fit right into the Dutton family tree.

What Baby Names Is ‘Yellowstone’ Inspiring?

Rebekah Wahlberg, a baby-name trends specialist at BabyCenter, told Reader’s Digest that the popularity of country music and Western TV shows has helped fuel interest in names with a Western feel.

“Dutton” has emerged as one example of the trend, but plenty of other names are catching on, too.

This trend is more popular for boys, but there are a handful of Western-themed girl names in the top 100 too. On the boys’ side, we have Colton, Walker, Jeremiah, Silas, Micah, Weston, Ezekiel, Josiah, Wyatt and Maverick. For girls, there’s Sadie, Lucy, Delilah, Abigail and Oakley.

Some of those names have biblical roots, while others sound like they belong on a ranch. So the trend may be about more than naming your baby after your favorite cowboy.

Read More: ‘Yellowstone’ Effect Sends Ranch Prices Soaring Across the U.S.

Other names gaining traction include Cheyenne, Pearl and River for girls, and Cody, Denver and Jackson for boys.

Country music has played a role, too, with names like Cash and Conway finding their way onto birth certificates, while Winona and Houston have climbed BabyCenter’s rankings.

Is the ‘Yellowstone’ Effect Changing More Than Baby Names?

Of course, not everyone naming a baby Wyatt or Sadie is taking inspiration from Sheridan’s shows. But the growing interest in Western culture has been hard to miss.

Ranch properties have also become more expensive over the past decade.