Discover 30 Types of Hats: Unique Hat Styles Guide

By Will Conner, Conner Hats · Updated October 2026

With so many different hat styles out there, it can be hard to know where to start. This guide names and explains 30 types of hats, with a picture of most of them, so you can tell a fedora from a trilby, a bucket hat from a boonie, and find the shape that suits you. Types of hats have changed over time, but most of these styles have stayed classics for good reason.

The most common types of hats are baseball caps, beanies, bucket hats, fedoras, cowboy hats, sun hats, Panama hats, flat caps, berets and bowlers. Use the chart below to jump to any style.

Hat styles at a glance

Hat style	How to spot it	Good for
Baseball Caps	Rounded crown, stiff front bill	Everyday wear
Beach Hats	Big round brim, light straw	Beach and pool days
Beanies	Close-fitting knit, no brim	Cold weather
Berets	Soft, round and flat	Cool-weather style
Boater Hats	Flat top, flat brim, ribbon band	Summer events, the water
Boho Hats	Floppy wide brim	Festivals, sun
Bowler and Derby Hats	Hard round crown, short curled brim	Classic and vintage looks
Bucket Hats	Soft crown, short downward brim	Hiking, fishing, travel
Cloche Hats	Bell shape, fits close	Vintage style
Cowboy and Western Hats	Tall pinched crown, brim curled up at the sides	Ranch work, sun, western style
Fedora Hats	Pinched crown, brim snapped down at the front	Year-round style
Field Caps	Flat top, stiff bill	Casual, outdoor work
Gambler Hats	Flat-topped crown, wide flat brim	Western style, sun
Golf Hats	Wide brim, vented crown	The golf course
Homburg Hats	Center dent, brim curled all the way round	Formal wear
Newsboy Caps and Flat Caps	Low crown, short brim	Casual, cool weather
Oilskin and Waxed Cotton Hats	Waxed or oiled finish	Rain and rough weather
Outback Hats	Wide brim that dips front and back	Sun, rain, outdoor work
Panama Hats	Fine woven straw, medium brim	Hot weather, summer events
Pith Helmets	Tall rounded helmet shape	Safari and tropics
Pork Pie Hats	Flat top with a round dent, short brim	Sharp, compact style
Safari Hats	Medium to wide sloping brim	Hot, sunny trips
Slouch Hats	Soft brim, often pinned up on one side	Travel, sun
Steampunk Hats	Top hat or bowler with gears and trim	Costume and events
Top Hats	Very tall flat crown, small brim	Formal events
Trilby Hats	Narrow brim, short tapered crown	Casual and dressy style
Trucker Caps	Foam front, mesh back	Casual, hot days
Visors	Brim and band, no crown	Golf, tennis, running
Wedding Hats	Decorative, often a fascinator	Weddings and races
Wide Brim Sun Hats	Brim around 3 inches or more	All-day sun

Baseball Caps

Now one of the most popular hat styles on the market, baseball caps became popular in the 1860’s when the Brooklyn Excelsiors first wore a version of the six-panel hat style. This type of hat features a mid-sized bill in the front and five to six panels of fabric that are finished with a small button on the top. Baseball caps are great for everyday wear as they’re a durable hat style that offers good sun protection for your face. And the variety of materials and subtle styles of baseball caps make this a hat style that can be dressed up or down for many occasions.

Shop our water-resistant oiled cotton baseball cap Shop the Kentucky Waterproof Oiled Cotton Cap

Beach Hats

Also known as sun hats, beach hats are made for bright days outside. This popular brimmed hat style is made from lightweight materials such as straw or raffia to offer a respite from the heat of the day. Perhaps most importantly, the large circular brim of sun hats offers protection from dangerous UV rays that can harm your skin. Beach hats are all about combining style and function, so they’re made from quick-drying materials that can handle being tossed in the sand or in your beach bag.

Shop our sun protection hats

Beanies

A beanie is a close-fitting knit cap with no brim, usually made from wool, acrylic or cotton. Some fold up into a cuff, some slouch at the back and some finish with a pom-pom on top. Beanies are the simplest cold-weather hat there is: they cover your ears, pack flat and go with almost anything.

Berets

The beret hat style originated in the 17th century in the Basque country between Southern France and Northern Spain. This area is home to the Pyrenees mountains, and Berets are still commonly worn there today. Often thought of as painter hats or artist hats, berets are made of wool, cotton, or synthetic materials (we only make non-mulesed wool berets). This round, soft, and slightly poofy hat style offers insulation from heat and cold along with a classic French style.

SHOP NON-MULESED WOOL BERETS

Boater Hats

The boater hat, also known as a skimmer hat, is a summer hat that was most popular in the 1800’s and 1900’s. A classic skimmer hat is made from straw and features a small to medium sized brim, a flat top, and a ribbon around the crown. Boater hats have a timeless style that makes them a great choice as a warm-weather hat that can be worn on the water and to more formal occasions. At Conner Hats, we’ve revamped the boater hat style to meet functional needs as well as high style. Crafting with carefully chosen materials, we’ve developed skimmer and boater hats that are water resistant, quick drying, and a few styles that even float!

Shop Boater and Skimmer hats Shop the Aztec Boater Recycled Hat

Boho Hats

Drawing from the laid back, hippy style of the 60’s, boho hats are one of the most popular floppy hat styles. Perfect for the free spirit looking for a new music festival hat, this wide brim hat type has a classically cool vibe that’s easily dressed up or down. With many different colors and brim sizes, the boho hat style is flattering for many face shapes. Plus, floppy hats offer great sun protection for the hat lover that’s always on the go.

Shop Boho Hats Shop the Mt. Warning Wool Boho Hat

Bowler and Derby Hats

Originating in Britain in the 1800’s, bowler hats were created to solve the issue of top hats that fell off too easily when riding horses. Bowler hats quickly gained popularity in the USA and became known as derby hats. For the same reason as bowler hats gained popularity in Britain, derby hats were put to good use in the American Southwest where horse riding and other rough activities made top hats unsuitable. This durable hat style is made with hard felt and sports a shorter brim. Made iconic atop the head of Charlie Chaplin, bowler hats remain a classic hat style today.

Shop our most popular non-mulesed wool Bowler Hat styles Shop the Carson City Wool Bowler Hat

Bucket Hats

A bucket hat has a soft, unstructured crown and a short brim that slopes down all the way around, a little like an upturned bucket. It started out as a work hat for farmers and fishermen in Ireland in the early 1900s, and today it’s a favorite for hiking, fishing and travel because it rolls up and packs flat. Bucket hats are often confused with boonie hats: a boonie has a wider, stiffer brim and usually a chin strap. Every Conner bucket hat is unstructured and packable.

Shop bucket hats Shop the Weathered Cotton Bucket Hat

Cloche Hats

The close fitting, bell shaped cloche hat style brings you back to a different time, when speakeasies were open and the roaring 20’s were in full swing! Often known as a flapper hat, cloche hats are a soft and comfortable hat style made from wool or felt. They come in many colors and sport embellishments around the crown to fit any style.

Shop our women's hats

Cowboy and Western Hats

This iconic style of the American southwest features a very wide brim crafted to keep the elements away from your face. Usually sporting a brim that turns up on the sides, the classic cowboy and cowgirl hats are made for function above all else. Western hats are made from a variety of materials for different uses. Water-resistant cowboy hats can be a good option for rainy days on the ranch. And lightweight straw cowgirl hats are best for dusty and hot mid-summer days.

Shop western and cowboy hat styles Shop the Lone Wolf Crushable Leather

Fedora Hats

Fedoras may have gained popularity in the 20’s, but they’re still one of the most popular types of hats today. An iconic symbol of Frank Sinatra, the fedora hat has evolved over the years into slightly different hat styles such as the Pork Pie, Trilby, Snap Brim, and Stingy Brim. This classic hat has a timeless style that’s characterized by a small brim that turns up at the back. Ours come in wool, straw and leather, made to last.

Shop our collection of wool, straw, and leather Fedoras Shop the Detroit Wool Fedora

Field Caps

This type of hat is often known as a military cap due to its use in the military wardrobe of some countries. In some ways similar to the baseball cap, field caps feature a flat top instead of the baseball cap’s rounded top and a stiff, slightly rounded visor. Military caps offer distinction from the common baseball hat while keeping the same durable design elements.

Shop caps and newsboys

Gambler Hats

This hat shape is a blend of western and outback style. With a wide brim and distinctive oval crown, gambler hats are made of many different types of hat materials. This makes them suitable for a range of occasions and types of weather. At home in the days of riverboat casinos floating along the Mississippi River, gambler hats are a comfortable hat style that offers great sun protection. The modern gambler hat is the perfect style for those who want a taste of western flare in a toned-down style.

Golf Hats

A golf hat has a harder job than most: four or five hours in open sun, no shade on the course, and a brim wide enough to protect your face and neck without catching on your swing. That means a wider brim than a baseball cap and far more ventilation than a felt hat. Our golf styles use a soakable mesh crown — you run it under water before you tee off and evaporation cools your head as you walk the round. The mesh is what makes it comfortable in heat, and it is also why we do not put a UPF number on the open-mesh styles.

Shop golf hats Shop the Aussie Golf Soakable Mesh Hat

Homburg Hats

A Homburg is a stiff felt dress hat with a single dent running down the center of the crown and a brim that curls up all the way around, usually finished with a ribbon edge. It’s named after the town of Bad Homburg in Germany and was made popular by King Edward VII of Britain. More formal than a fedora, the Homburg is the hat for suits and evening wear.

Shop dress hats and fedoras

Newsboy Caps and Flat Caps

This hat has many names, but all carry its distinctive style. Sometimes called an Ivy, Ascot, or Duck Bill cap, the newsboy or paper boy cap came into style through an act of the government. In 1571, Parliament enacted a law that required all men six years and older to wear a wool flat cap. Apparently enforced as a way to stimulate wool consumption, the flat bill cap style has since gained popularity all over the world. With a low profile, this style sports material that extends from the crown all the way to its short brim. Similar to the peaky blinder hat, the newsboy cap is a classic style that can be made with a variety of materials for use in any climate or occasion.

Shop Newsboy Caps and Flat Caps Shop the Merrik Cotton Newsboy Cap

Oilskin and Waxed Cotton Hats

Oilskin is not a hat shape, it is a finish — a cotton canvas impregnated with wax or oil so rain beads up and runs off instead of soaking through. Australian drovers wore oilskin because it shrugs off weather and keeps working after years of it. A waxed cotton hat is water resistant rather than fully waterproof: the wax is the barrier, so as it wears down the hat takes on water, and the fix is to re-wax it rather than replace it. That repairability is the point, and it is why these hats age well instead of wearing out.

Shop oilskin and waxed cotton hats Shop the Northern Front Oilskin Hat

Outback Hats

The Australian father and son team at Conner Hats knows a thing or two about outback hats, to say the least. The Aussie hat style is crafted for the tough extremes of the Australian outback. While the Australian hat style was made popular by Crocodile Dundee, its durable build goes beyond looks. Outback hats are crafted with hardworking materials like leather and cotton and have a wide brim that dips down in the front and back, offering premium protection from the sun.

Shop Outback hats Shop the Bounty Hunter Water Resistant Cotton

Panama Hats

This straw hat style originated in Ecuador and gained popularity during the 19th century, when many miners in the California Gold Rush travelled through Panama. With a thick weave and a medium sized brim, panama hats were the answer to the need for sun protection in hot tropical areas. The light color and beautiful weave of panama hats makes them a great match for fabrics like silk and linen. And that puts the panama hat style right at home at any warm-weather occasion.

Shop handmade straw hats Shop the 5th Avenue Straw Fedora

Pith Helmets

Originally made for soldiers in hot climates in the 1800s, pith helmets have a tall, rounded crown and a brim that slopes down all the way around. They were traditionally made from sola pith or cork and covered in cloth, which kept them light and let air move around the head. Today the shape is a safari classic, and you’ll still see it on explorers and in the tropics.

Shop Pith Helmets

Pork Pie Hats

A pork pie hat has a short, flat-topped crown with a round dent circling the top, which gives it the look of the English pastry it’s named after. The brim is short and usually turned up all the way around or worn flat. Pork pies were popular in the 1800s, came back with jazz musicians in the mid-1900s and are still a favorite for a sharp, compact look. Ours come in wool and straw.

Shop trilby and pork pie hats Shop the Mumford Pork Pie Wool Fedora

Safari Hats

Built to be right at home in hot desert climates, safari hats are a go-to style when looking for a hat with great sun protection. With a gently downward sloping brim that’s medium to large sized, safari hats are made with many materials. If having a lightweight and cool hat is most important, choose a safari hat made with mesh. Looking for ultimate sun protection? Pick from the UPF 50+ Black Creek Safari Hemp Hat.

Shop Safari Hats Shop the Black Creek Safari Hemp Hat

Slouch Hats

The slouch hat is the soft-brimmed Australian classic — a wide brim that dips rather than holds a stiff shape, which is exactly what makes it so easy to live in. Traditionally worn by Australian stockmen and later adopted by the Australian armed forces, the slouch brim can be worn down for shade or turned up on one side. Because the crown and brim are unstructured, a slouch hat crushes into a bag and springs back, so it travels better than almost any other brimmed style. Ours are made from cotton, which breathes in heat and softens with wear.

Shop slouch and outback hats Shop the Sahara Aussie Cotton Slouch Hat

Steampunk Hats

A segment of Victorian-era fashion, steampunk hats celebrate the 19th century’s arrival of steam powered machinery and beautiful Victorian clothing. Steampunk hats are regaining popularity as a fashion statement all on their own. Using classic hat styles like top hats and bowler hats, steampunk style adds cogs, chains, and lace to create eye-catching and unique hat styles.

Shop Steampunk Hats Shop the Edward Australian Wool Top Hat

Top Hats

Ah, the shining icon of true class. Top hats are perhaps the most widely known type of hat. With a tall crown and a small brim, top hats were originally used by the highest members of society in the 1800’s. Now, this novelty hat is the epitome of formal attire (or a fun occasion)!

Shop Top Hats Shop the Edward Australian Wool Top Hat

Trilby Hats

A trilby is the fedora’s shorter-brimmed cousin. The brim is narrow, angled down at the front and turned up at the back, and the crown is a little shorter and more tapered than a fedora’s. It takes its name from the 1890s stage version of George du Maurier’s novel Trilby. Because the brim is short, a trilby is more a style choice than a sun hat, and it works with casual or dressed-up clothes.

Shop trilby and pork pie hats

Trucker Caps

An offshoot of the ever-popular baseball hats, trucker caps have nearly the same shape as baseball hats, but they have mesh panels for all but the two front pieces of fabric. Trucker hats are usually adjustable via snaps along a back strap, and are a hat style that’s gained mass popularity.

Shop Trucker Caps

Visors

A visor is a brim and a headband with no crown, so the top of your head stays open to the air. Golfers, tennis players and runners like visors because they shade the eyes while letting heat escape. The trade-off is that the top of your head gets no sun protection, so for long days outside a full-crown hat with a wide brim covers more.

Shop golf hats

Wedding Hats

Your special day requires a one-of-a-kind hat. From fancy fascinator hats to matching styles for the entire bridal party, wedding hats add a special touch to any ceremony. Wedding hat styles vary greatly depending on the wedding location. For warm weather events, beach wedding hats offer shade from the sun without compromising style. Throwing a black tie event? Choose a wedding hat that rises to the occasion.

Shop Wedding Hats

Wide Brim Sun Hats

A wide brim hat is any style with a brim broad enough to shade your face, ears and the back of your neck, usually around 3 inches or more. They come in straw, cotton, wool and leather, in shapes from floppy sun hats to structured outback and gambler styles. If you spend long days outside, brim width matters more than almost anything else, so it’s the first thing to check when you compare sun hats.

Shop women’s wide brim hats Shop men’s wide brim hats

Find your size before you buy

A one-minute video from Conner Hats on measuring your head for a hat. Then match your measurement on our hat size chart.

Types of hats: common questions

How many types of hats are there?

There’s no fixed number, because new styles keep appearing and many hats go by more than one name. This guide covers 30 of the most common types of hats, from baseball caps and beanies to fedoras, cowboy hats and pith helmets.

What is the difference between a fedora and a trilby?

A trilby has a narrower brim that angles down at the front and turns up at the back, and a slightly shorter, more tapered crown. A fedora has a wider brim that can be snapped down at the front or worn flat, so it gives more shade.

Is a bowler hat the same as a derby hat?

Yes. It’s the same hard, round-crowned hat with a short curled brim. It’s called a bowler in Britain and a derby in the United States.

What is the difference between a bucket hat and a boonie hat?

A bucket hat has a short brim that slopes down all the way around and a soft crown. A boonie hat has a wider, stiffer brim and usually a chin strap, so it gives more shade and stays on in the wind.

What is the difference between a cowboy hat and an outback hat?

A cowboy hat usually has a taller, pinched crown and a brim that curls up at the sides. An outback hat has a lower crown and a brim that dips down at the front and back, and it’s often made from leather, oilskin or cotton for rough weather.

What type of hat gives the most sun protection?

A hat with a wide brim all the way around, usually 3 inches or more, shades your face, ears and neck. A tight weave or fabric with a UPF rating blocks more sun than an open weave or mesh. Caps and visors leave your ears and neck uncovered.