Crazy Horse was not his first given name

First and foremost, one of the most interesting facts about Crazy Horse is Crazy Horse was not his origin name. The son of an Oglala Sioux shaman by the same name and his Brule Sioux bride, Crazy Horse was born in the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1841.

Compared to other members of his tribe, Crazy Horse had hair with extraordinary curls and a lighter complexion. Crazy Horse was referred to as "Curly Hair" and "Light-Haired Boy" as a child since, historically, boys were not given names until they had an experience that warranted it.

After a battle with Arapaho warriors in 1858, Crazy Horse was given his father's name while his father adopted the moniker Worm. As a child, Crazy Horse was known as "His Horse Looking," but he was more generally called "Curly."

The original name of Crazy Horse was Cha-O-Ha, or Among the Trees. When Cha-O-Ha was of age, he was given the name Crazy Horse (Ta-Sunko-Witko), which had previously been used by his father and grandfather.