Table Of Contents
Buffalo and bison are often confused for one another.
This is understandable as they do look rather similar and are both members of the Bovidae family.
Interestingly though, the two are not even slightly related and are separated having completely different native continents.
Buffalo are native to Africa and Asia whilst bison are native to the Americas and Europe.
If you think back to any old cowboy movies where they are discussing the buffalo, chances are you are looking at bison.
These beautiful bovine creatures are today spread throughout the world on every continent for all of us to appreciate and enjoy.
Sadly, there are only 5000 wild bison left in the Yellowstone national park nature reserve.
However, the Mongolian Grasslands are home to thousands upon thousands of water buffalo thriving left mostly untouched by people.
If you are lucky enough to see a wild buffalo on safari, in a national park, or at a nature reserve you may be curious about what kind of names might be suitable for your new bovine buddy.
Here are 180 unique and interesting buffalo names:
Best Buffalo Names
- Angus – Angus beef is incredibly famous which has made the name Angus for cows, or any other kind of bovine, quite popular.
- Alf
- Bessy
- Daisy
- Heffer
- Prairie
- Valley
- Savannah
- Roamer
- Sagebrush
- Scruff
- Banni
- Mongolia
- Genghis
- Surti
- Toda
- Nepal
- Bavaria
- Kaziranga
- Maru
- Lilith
- Aussie
- Sydney
- Bali
- Nairobi
- Alexandria
- Mozzarella
- Dakar
- Lagos
- Macedon
- Thrace
- Ardennes
- Italia
- Matra
- Herdy
- Herdwicks
- Blean
- Canterbury
- Spring
- Tulip
- Poppy
- Clovis
- Offa
- Barbarossa
- Jack
- Valory
- Cavalry
- Charger
- BBQ
- Creamy
Names For Female Buffalos
- Elizabeth
- Phoebe
- Rachel
- Buttercup
- Ol Bessy
- Dottie
- Clarabelle
- Nellie
- Maggie
- Ellie
- Sofia
- Dani
- Elise
- Georgia
- Granny
Names For Male Buffalos
- Papa
- Duke
- Skipper
- Homer
- Earl
- Tank
- Robert
- Sir
- Smokey
- Bandit
- Nissan
- Sire
- Lord
- King
- Baron
Unisex Names For Buffalos
- Jamie
- Moo-moo – moo-moo knows no gender moo-moo only knows moos’
- Bi-bi – Pronounced Bye-Bye, best used for buffalo who think they are bison.
- Sam
- Nick
- Georgie
- Lou – Could be Louis, could be Louise.
- Milky
- Cheesy
- Pizza
Cute Names For Buffalos
- Little Horn
- Fluff Tail
- Margareta
- Little Italy – Everyone enjoys a trip down to Little Italy.
- Cowboy
- Cowgirl
- Lone Ranger – Lone Ranger was based on Bass Reeves who reportedly caught more than 3000 outlaws!
- Dallas
- Peyton
- Buddy
Good Names For Buffalos
- Big Boy – Buffalos are certainly big and around half of them are boys.
- Little One – Even when newborn buffalos aren’t exactly little!
- Harry
- George
- Henry – Henry the 8th was reportedly around the size of a buffalo when he died.
- Maggie
- Friend – Cows often have a best friend whom they choose to spend almost all of their time with. Do you think buffalo are the same?
- Amigo – Everybody needs a friend, buffalo are no different.
- Ace
- Skippy – Do you think buffalo would be able to run faster if they were skipping?
Funny Names For A Buffalo
- Mozzy – Mozzy is short for mozzarella. NOT mosquito. Make that clear to your buffalo or else they may become offended, understandably.
- Pizza Pie
- Bison – Are buffalos bison or are bison buffalos? Which ones are so good at making mozzarella?
- Wensleydale – “Hmm. It’s like no cheese I’ve ever tasted.
- Red Leicester
- Nelly the Elephant – Nelly the Elephant packed her trunk and said goodbye to the circus.
- Rupert
- Grubby
- Mud Bath – Buffalo often do give themselves mud baths, or sand baths, when there is limited drinking water available and to protect themselves against sunburn.
- Stinker – Unsurprisingly wild animals bathing in mud tend to not smell super good.
Cool Names For Buffalos
- Rocket – Despite their gargantuan size buffalo can run up to speeds of 35 miles per hour. Not bad!
- Armory
- Drifter – Buffalo are often nomadic, meaning they drift from place to place depending on where food and water are abundant.
- Lone Wolf – Perfect for an animal that almost exclusively lives in giant herds, don’t you think?
- Chef
- Officer
- Truck
- Banjo – The coolest instrument for the coolest bovine.
- All-Star
- Squad Leader – Every squad needs a buffalo at the helm. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Unique Names For A Buffalo
- Dr. Moo – This couldn’t possibly have two meanings. Who could possibly think such a thing? My LORD, we don’t have TIME for explanations.
- Shrek
- R2-D2 – Did R2-D2 recognize Darth Vader if he was Anakin droid for all those years?
- Falcon
- Dumbledore – Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
- Horcrux
- Judge – Judge Fudge
- Django
- Hugh Heifer – Hugh Hefner enjoyed looking at buffalo more than he did at women.
- Hannah Mo0-ntana – You get the best of both worlds with this name.
Famous Buffalo Names
- Wendie – Wendie Malick from Buffalo won a golden globe for her character Nina Van Horn (not a bad name for a buffalo either, if you think about it)
- Bakay
- Messick – Don Messick grew up in Buffalo New York and voiced many famous cartoon characters including Scooby Doo and Hampton J Pig.
- Rick
- Goo Goo – The Goo Goo Dolls got their start in Buffalo
- Harrington
- Ajit – Ajit Pai head of the FCC was born in Buffalo
- Willis
- Chad
- Cliff
Names For Water Buffalos
- Brahma
- Devi
- Krishna – Krishna is one of the oldest and most popular Hindu gods and is a reincarnation of the god Vishnu.
- Poppadom
- Naan – Naan is the Indian word for bread. If you ever order “naan bread” at a restaurant you are asking for “bread bread”.
- Shiva
- Vishnu – Vishnu is the Hindu god of preservation and balance.
- Vayu – Vayu is the Indian deity of wind
- Kanha
- Pench – Pench national park is one of India’s most famous and is home to wild tigers and buffalo.
Names For African Buffalos
- One Eye
- Caffer
- Forrest – Forest buffalo is one of the main “subspecies” of buffalo.
- Savanna
- Cape
- Mali – Mali is the eighth largest country in Africa (Mali has one of the world’s youngest populations).
- Togo
- Lesotho
- Sierra
- Comoros – Comoros is an archipelago of small islands on the African coast with a population of fewer than one million people.
Names For American Buffalos
- Cherokee – The Cherokee lived in the southern woodlands of the USA, this is a good name for a forest buffalo.
- Iroquois – The Iroquois lived in the northeast and made their home on turtle island.
- Sioux – The Sioux tribes were expert hunters and warriors.
- Apache – The Apache tribe was most prevalent in the southern united states and large swathes of Mexico.
- Odawa – The Odawa were friendly traders who eventually decided to fight the British with the Spanish.
- Modoc – The Modoc people occupied what is now California.
- Navajo – If you picture in your mind a Native American blanket or dream catcher it’s most likely of Navajo design.
- Cayuse
- Pawnee
- Uncle Sam – Good old Uncle Sam. God bless America.
Name Inspiration
Many of these names have taken inspiration from a blend of American and African/Asian origins as well as their myths, legends, and folklore.
Buffalo are found across the world and are so identifiable to almost every individual that almost any person from any nation could feel some kind of connection to the buffalo and thus choose a name that relates to their homeland.
Help Choosing The Perfect Name
Choosing the right buffalo name is no easy feat and can require a lot of time and research.
This list has taken inspiration from cultural sources, for the most part, but that is not the only way to name your buffalo.
Sometimes you need to look beyond where your buffalo is from and explore its personality and looks.
Is your buffalo brave and brash? Is it shy and slovenly?
All of these things should factor into finding the right name for your buffalo.
Remember, you only get to name your buffalo once so make sure you pick the right name from the get-go!
Conclusion
Hopefully, this comprehensive guide to buffalo naming has made the great task of selecting the right name for your buffalo just a little easier.
It is not always easy and can become quite frustrating racking your brain for the right name so these lists are often very helpful.
If you are still unsure perhaps you might find further inspiration on other animal name lists such as the buffalo’s African friends the Cheetahs.