The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The team plays in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the leagues American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The teams name is derived from an All-America Football Conference (AAFC) franchise from Buffalo that was in turn named after western frontiersman Buffalo Bill).

The original Buffalo Bill was an American scout who fought for the Union in the Civil War and served the U.S. Army in the Indian Wars. He received a medal of honor in 1972, and it is his name by which Buffalos football team is named.

The name "Buffalo Bills" was chosen during a naming contest for Buffalos All-America Football Conference team. While the squad was originally named the Bison, owner James Breuil wanted to switch things up. James F. Dyson wrote an essay comparing the team to a band of "Buffalo Bills" and Breuil, the owner of Frontier Oil Company, loved the connection to the American frontier legend.