What does coonskin mean?
Coonskin is the pelt, or dressed fur, of the raccoon, a mammal native to North America. The word entered English alongside the name raccoon itself, which derives from a Virginia Algonquian term recorded in the early colonial period, and it has always been closely tied to American history. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, raccoon pelts were a staple of the fur trade and were commonly worked into hats, coats, and trim. The word's enduring fame rests above all on the coonskin cap — a hat made from a raccoon pelt with the ringed tail hanging behind — which became emblematic of frontier figures such as Davy Crockett. When Walt Disney's Davy Crockett television series aired in the mid-1950s, coonskin caps became a national craze among children. Today coonskin appears mainly in historical writing, costume design, and Americana, carrying strong connotations of the frontier era.
nounThe pelt or fur of a raccoon, especially as used to make hats and other garments. It is most famously associated with the coonskin cap, a frontier-style hat with the tail hanging at the back.
- The pelt or fur of a raccoon, used for making caps, coats, and other items.
- By extension, material associated chiefly through the coonskin cap, a hat made from raccoon pelt worn on the American frontier and revived as a children's fad in the 1950s.
"He wore a coonskin cap like the ones popularized by the Davy Crockett craze of the 1950s."
"Trappers along the frontier traded raccoon pelts, and coonskin became a familiar commodity in early American commerce."
"Every kid in the neighborhood wanted a coonskin cap during the Davy Crockett boom."
Standard plural; common when referring to quantities of pelts in trade contexts.
"The trading post took in dozens of coonskins each season."
In the mid-1950s the coonskin cap sparked one of America's first toy fads — millions were sold after Disney's Davy Crockett series made an old frontier hat the must-have item for schoolchildren.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coonskin
Coonskin combines skin with coon, the shortened form of raccoon, a name adopted into English from Virginia Algonquian — recorded by Captain John Smith's circle in the early seventeenth century as something like 'aroughcun', meaning roughly 'one that scratches with its hands'. As English settlers established a fur trade in raccoon pelts, coonskin emerged as a natural trade and craft term. The word gained lasting cultural prominence through the frontier coonskin cap and was revived nationally by the Davy Crockett fad of the 1950s.
How coonskin is actually used
The word is strongly associated with North American history and folklore, particularly frontier life in the 18th and 19th centuries and the Davy Crockett media phenomenon of the 1950s. It is largely historical and cultural rather than everyday vocabulary today, though it remains common in discussions of Americana, folk costume, and period films.
Easily confused with coonskin
A raccoon is the animal itself, whereas coonskin refers specifically to its pelt or fur once removed.