Country boy baby names are favorites with American parents. Proof is in the current US Top 100: Wyatt and Ryder, Jackson and Hunter, Colton and Easton.

　　Some boys’ names feel country because of their associations, like Wyatt Earp or Johnny and June Carter Cash singing “Jackson.” Others bring to mind rodeo (Ryder) and the great outdoors (Hunter). Others are harder to pin down, but seem every bit as at home on a tractor or holding a fishing rod.

　　Country boy names fall somewhere between classic and modern. They’re rustic, but they wear almost as well in the big city as at home on the range.

　　Our picks for the best country boy names are:

　　Johnny Cash makes this name musical, but also edgy, even rebellious. The Man in Black has inspired plenty of parents – Cash has ranked in the 500 most popular names since 2006.

　　To ford a river is to cross it; but today, Ford feels more open highway than nature name. If your first car was a pick-up truck, Ford might be the country boy baby name for you.

　　Granger means farmer, making it a capable choice for a country boy. It’s also rare – just 62 boys were given the name last year, making it an alternative to wildly popular picks like Hunter.

　　Brad & Angelina put this stylish x-ending name on the charts, but Knox feels country thanks to Kentucky’s impenetrable Fort Knox, home of the US gold reserves.

　　From Billy the Kid to the Sundance Kid, this name brings to mind legendary outlaws of the Wild West. But Kyd has real roots as a surname name, sometimes related to Christopher.

　　A maverick goes his own way. That’s true of the Old West television series by the name, as well as Tom Cruise’s flyboy hero from the 80s. It’s a country boy favorite, ranked Number 184.

　　The real McCoy has meant the genuine article since the 1800s. It’s a Mc name that works well for boys and leans country, maybe thanks to feuding families, the Hatfields and the McCoys.

　　Remington Arms is America’s oldest gun maker, established in 1816. Now the surname name is among the hottest choices for boys in the US, Number 299 and still climbing.

　　Waylon Jennings was meant to be Wayland, but his parents changed the spelling. The creative name is now a musical, mainstream favorite for country boys, rising steadily in recent years.

　　Americans have long looked to the West for opportunity and fresh beginnings. Weston conjures up mountains and plains, horses and brooks. It’s a logical country boy baby name, and comes with the perfect nickname built in —West!