'cattleman' originates from the English word 'cattle' combined with 'man', where 'cattle' referred to domesticated bovine animals and 'man' referred to a person.

'cattle' comes from the Old French word 'catel', which meant 'personal property', and 'man' has been used in English since Old English times to refer to a human being.

Initially, 'cattleman' referred to any person who owned cattle, but over time it evolved to specifically mean someone who raises or tends cattle on a ranch.