What Should Your Texas Name Be?

By: Elisabeth Henderson
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
What Should Your Texas Name Be?
Image: Yuri_Arcurs/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

The great state of Texas conjures images of cowboys in 10-gallon hats riding the wild desert foothills. While cowboy culture definitely still dominates parts of Texas, it also shares the sprawling landscape with other cultural influences. In any Texas town, you’re as likely to see handmade tortilla shops as handmade cowboy boots. And cowboy boots are sported not only by the hardworking outdoorsmen hoping to avoid rattlesnake bites. They also appear at the foot of skinny jeans worn by ironic hipsters frequenting the live music scene. 

The Wild West of Texas symbolizes different things to different types. For oil producers, the Permian Basin in West Texas represents a gold mine to be plumbed and extracted to its utmost value. Others view the wilderness as a sacred jewel to protect and enjoy with light footsteps that leave no trace. 

From the borderlands to the Panhandle, those who live here know that Texas is home to an ever-increasing number of Latinos, spicing up the food and music culture and maintaining a focus on family and connection amid the booming Texas economy. 

Texas’s time-honored cowboy culture isn’t going anywhere. Hunting, ranching, and horseback riding will keep riding into the sunset. But the state is changing, with the big cities growing new crops of progressive-minded hippies who also claim land and set down roots. 

Which style of Texan are you branded with? Answer these questions about your Texan preferences and we’ll tell you your Texas name! 

1 wide, open spaces
Dean Fikar/Moment/Getty Images
Texas is known for its wide-open spaces. What is the best use of the open range?
Camping
Drilling for oil
Viewing natural beauty
Growing vegetables

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2 music
moodboard/Cultura/Getty Images
What style of music most resonates with Texas?
Indie rock
Texas country
Marty Robbins
Tejano

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3 work uniform
AE Pictures Inc./DigitalVision/Getty Images
What is your Texan work uniform?
Skinny jeans and a nice shirt
Cowboy boots, jeans, pearl snap shirt
Business casual
My finest dress clothes

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4 bright future
codyphotography/E+/Getty Images
How can Texas ensure a bright future?
We must embrace our differences and learn to compromise.
We must stay true to our tradition.
We must protect our natural spaces.
We must come to understand our complex cultural history.

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5 classic Texas transportation
dlewis33/E+/Getty Images
What is the classic Texas transportation?
It should be light rail.
Horseback
Walking the trails
Cars

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6 Sunday dinner
Cathy Scola/Moment/Getty Images
On a typical Sunday evening, what would your family eat for dinner?
Pad Thai noodles
Brisket
Texas chili
Tamales

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7 rattlesnake
Kristian Bell/Moment/Getty Images
What kind of interaction have you had with a rattlesnake?
I once was terrified by one while hiking.
I’ve killed more than I can count.
I always hope to see one when I’m out in the desert.
My grandmother tells lots of stories about them.

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8 the Alamo
joe daniel price/Moment/Getty Images
The Alamo is one of Texas’s most important historical landmarks. What does the Alamo mean to you?
It’s a complex and contested historical narrative.
It’s a symbol of Texan resilience and strength.
It’s a story I’m proud of, but I know that it means different things to different people.
It’s a symbol connected with the conquest of Mexican land.

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9 Austin
Dave Wilson, WebArtz Photography/Moment/Getty Images
Which city foreshadows the future of Texas?
Dallas
Odessa
Houston
El Paso

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10 national language
Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision/Getty Images
What is the national language of Texas?
I love how many languages you can hear in Texas.
American
English
Spanish

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11 Trucks
Stephen Simpson/Photodisc/Getty Images
What place do big trucks have in Texas?
We should have fewer bigs trucks on the roads to burn fewer fossil fuels.
Trucks and Texas go together like a hand in a glove.
We need some big trucks on the roads to do work on ranches, but if people don’t need them for work, they shouldn’t buy them..
You don’t need trucks to do hard work.

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12 Live oak
Daniela Duncan/Moment/Getty Images
If you were going to plant a Texas native tree, what would it be?
Texas persimmon
Live oak
Redbud
Mexican buckeye

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13 Ice cream truck
Gillianne Tedder/Photodisc/Getty Images
What treat was your go-to when the ice-cream truck drove by?
Creamsicle
Fudgesicle
Rocket pop
Tamarindo candy

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14 Balmorhea pool
David Teter/Moment Open/Getty Images
Balmorhea pool is a sacred and historic spring in the foothills of the Davis mountains that sits on a treasure trove of oil. How should Texas use this resource?
We should preserve the pool as a sacred site.
We should carefully remove the oil.
We should ban any oil production from the surrounding area to ensure the site remains pure.
Maybe we can find a compromise so we can benefit from the oil but also keep it as a family recreation site.

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15 coyote
David C Stephens/Moment/Getty Images
What does the word coyote mean to you?
It’s an emblem of the wild, often on desert-themed graphics.
They’re a pest that can prey on agriculture.
They’re a beautiful, wild creature to be protected.
It can either be an animal or a trafficker of persons trying to cross the border.

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16 Texas art
Walter Bibikow/DigitalVision/Getty Images
What comes to mind when you think of Texas art?
Donald Judd’s installations at Marfa
Big landscapes and cowboy scenes
Bluebonnet paintings
The Chicano art movement

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17 Festival
Gabriel Perez/Moment/Getty Images
Which Texas festival are you most likely to frequent?
Austin City Limits Music Festival
Rattlesnake Roundup
Strawberry Festival
Latino Heritage Festival

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18 Texas anthem
Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision/Getty Images
Which Texas anthem would you teach your children?
"On the Road Again"
"Luckenbach, Texas"
"El Paso"
"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom"

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19 Jeans
Virojt Changyencham/Moment/Getty Images
What is the most important use of a pair of jeans?
You can wear them forever without washing them.
They protect your legs while riding a horse or working the fields.
They are comfortable and flexible for work and play.
They are perfect for a night of dancing.

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20 Cowboy boots
Matt Hoover Photo/Cultura/Getty Images
How many pairs of cowboy boots do you own?
None
Five
One
Two

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21 Different language at home
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More than a third of Texans speak a language other than English at home. What languages do you speak?
English and a little Spanish
Only English
English and a little German
Both Spanish and English

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22 Texan child
RichVintage/E+/Getty Images
What is one of the most important things children should learn about being Texan?
Texas is full of different perspectives.
Texas is the greatest state.
We have to protect Texas’s natural beauty.
We have to remember our cultural heritage and learn from our ancestors.

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23 What makes Texas unique
Buddy Mays/Corbis/Getty Images
What makes Texas unique among the other states?
It has a vibrant, eclectic music scene.
It has held on to its fiercely independent spirit.
It has huge and varied expanses of natural beauty.
It has a beautiful blend of Mexican and American culture.

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24 Texan job
Hinterhaus Productions/DigitalVision/Getty Images
What is the most Texan job?
Working at Whole Foods
Working the oil fields
Working as a state park ranger
Working in agriculture

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25 Texas shaped food
Jeffrey Shay/Moment/Getty Images
Which food item are you most likely to consume in a Texas shape?
Biscuit
Country-fried steak
Burger
Tortilla

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26 Flags
nojustice/E+/Getty Images
Which flag is the important flag you raise?
Rainbow flag
Texas flag
American flag
Mexican flag

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27 taco filling
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What is the best taco filling?
Al pastor
Brisket
Chicken mole
Shrimp diablo

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28 most Texan part
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Which part of Texas seems the most Texan to you?
West Texas
The Panhandle
The Hill Country
The South Texas Plains

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29 queso
ncognet0/E+/Getty Images
What type of cheese belongs in queso?
Monterey Jack
Velveeta
Mexican blend
Queso blanco

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30 Texan movie star
Wiki Commons by Georges Biard, Wiki Commons by Georges Biard, Wiki Commons by Avda / www.avda-foto.de,
Who is your favorite Texan movie star?
Matthew McConaughey
Tommy Lee Jones
Jennifer Garner
Eva Longoria

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You Got: