25 Southern Chicken Names

Yes, chickens are pets too.

There's a short video from 1932 of a little girl named Mary O’Connor and her chicken in Savannah, Georgia. You may know her as Flannery O’Connor, and the story is that she trained a chicken to walk backwards as a child. Long before she reached fame for her writing, Flannery O’Connor briefly gained international recognition–thanks to a chicken. Now, whether she trained that chicken to walk backwards, or the videographer knew some advanced film tricks, it's a charming story about a girl and her chickens—a story many Southerners share.

For those of us that did not grow up on farms, or at least not the kind with chickens, these backyard birds were a pastoral icon that existed in petting zoos and children’s books. Today, more and more Americans are raising chickens in their own backyards. And as any good Southerner knows, there's value in hard work and knowing where your food comes from.

Whether they’re purely pets or your go-to for fresh breakfast eggs, we think this favorite fowl deserves a worthy moniker. What is more Southern than a chicken named Sue? Or Hank? Or Waylon, Willie, and the boys? (Okay, okay we’ll stop.)

Moss Mountain Farm. Close-up of chicken walking on grass in front of rock wall.

Art Meripol

25 of 26

Willie

Peeler Farms. Close-up, hands holding black and white chicken.

Robbie Caponetto

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25 Southern Chicken Names

1 of 26

Billie

2 of 26

Birdie

3 of 26

Bo

4 of 26

Coop

5 of 26

Daisy

6 of 26

Dixie

7 of 26

Duke

8 of 26

Dusty

9 of 26

Earl

10 of 26

Flannery

11 of 26

Goldie

12 of 26

Hank

13 of 26

Harriet

14 of 26

HENrietta

15 of 26

Jackson

16 of 26

Mayo

17 of 26

Mrs. Clucky

18 of 26

Patty (should we say...Pâté?)

19 of 26

Pecky

20 of 26

Popeye

21 of 26

Rusty

22 of 26

Scarlett

23 of 26

Scout

24 of 26

Sue

25 of 26

Willie

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