why are they called cowboys?
963986
they live on a farm like cows and there boys!\n\nCow+boys=Cowboys!
277957
The Lions and the Cowboys.
1150487
because that's what they choose to call them\nwhy are dogs called dogs? duh
948775
This American had never heard of that term before. It sounds like an unintelligent person who tends to wear certain fashions. I guess we would have names for different fashions. The poorer would tend to be trailer trash, skeezer for the slutty types, redneck for the country jerks, dunce, dope, airhead. I can't think of a generic term to fit them all.
720391
Because horses don't have feathers, so you are comparing whatever-it-is to something that doesn't exist.  \nPurple cows? Horse feathers!
131649
i'm not sure kids still play "cowboys and indians" at all, so i'm not sure about playground games.\n\nbut aren't native outfits considered sacred, along with dances? so when non-Indians take those outfits and make them into dress-up, costumes or imitate these dances, it removes the sacred nature of the act. team mascots do the same. some whites who defend these acts insist on calling them "homage" when in fact if kids were dressing as priests and nuns, and doing some bastardized version of mass, they'd be punished or stopped and told it was disrespectful.
210364
How about the Patriots? They're from New England, where America began and the name is more 'American'. 'Redskins' is an insult to Native Americans. The Cowboys hail from a state that gave us G.W.Bush. The Patriots come from Massachusetts which gave us John Adams,  John Quincy Adams,  Calvin Coolidge, and John F. Kennedy.
663337
because they were named by the greeks and romans. The Egyptians had names for them too, but since english is based on latin, we get most of our "stuff" from the Latin speaking Romans.
655262
It's just a nickname from a show or a movie if I recall. It is a ghetto name we use to be funny, to make fun of the different types of crazy ghetto names peple have
923687
Same reason they call pig meat pork and cow is beef, and chicken poultry.\n\nIt's the left over of the Norman invasion of England, and the nobility using their terms for the meat they ate.
649178
I don't think there really are any rules, especially when it comes to relationships.  Cowboys are just like any guy, some treat you with respect and some are real jerks.  The ideal is that a cowboy would treat you, along with his mother, his horse, children, and animals with kindness and respect.  But not all cowboys go by this.  As far as his hat goes, if he gives it to you to wear, fine, but don't jerk it off his head.  That makes them mad, fast!
166374
Pork was the name used by the Normans. After they conquered England in 1066 they were the nobles and their language was used by the powerful. They used names like beef mutton and pork where the English name was cow/bull sheep and pig/hog.\n\nIts a linguistic hangover from then
717505
The origin of the term is said to have come from the French word "conasse". During the Second World War, many Cajun men served in the armed forces. When in France, many of the French heard the Cajuns speaking in a French that was both very old and in a French that had some very odd words. The Frenchmen called the Cajuns "conasse" which translates to a very low-grade prostitute. I would think this comes from the fact that, although they spoke a form of French, the Cajuns weren't real Frenchmen.\n\nOf course, the "American" servicemen heard "conasse" as "CoonAss". In a world where "RedNeck" is heard often, "CoonAss" fits right in. Just like RedNeck, it wasn't originally used as a term of endearment. But many Cajuns carry it as a description of themselves as good as any other. In Louisiana, you can find vehicles with bumper stickers reading "Registered CoonAss" or "I'm a CoonAss, Me!" Wide spread use came about during the oil boom in Louisiana during the 60's and 70's.
748789
Both answers above are correct, but I thought you might like an example.  The term Buckaroo for Cowboy started as an American mispronunciation of the Spanish word, "vaquero" which also means cowboy.
124173
five mounted cowboys and dozen or more.
1154409
what would they call us
407826
Absolutely! Here in Nevada there are plenty of cowboys. They ride fence on huge ranches, bring in the herds in the winter and in the spring turn them out on the range. Just because they drive pickups when they go to town doesn't mean they aren't cowboys. They ride their horses when out on the range and still dress in the traditional cowboy garb. In Elko, NV. they even have a Cowboy Poetry contest each year and people come from all over the state to attend.\n\nOh, and on my honeymoon I wound up in the middle of a cattle round up. Terrific!!!!!