| County name (years established) |
State |
Name origin |
Modern counties
|
| Baine County (1866–1868) |
Alabama |
David W. Baine, Confederate General[1] |
Etowah County
|
| Baker County (1868–1874) |
Alfred Baker, founder of Clanton, Alabama[2] |
Chilton County
|
| Benton County (1832–1858) |
Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. Senator from Missouri[3] |
Calhoun County
|
| Cahawba County (1818–1820) |
The Cahawba (Cahaba) River[4] |
Bibb County
|
| Cotaco County (1818–1821) |
Cotaco Creek, possibly derived from the Cherokee "ikati" (swamp) and "kunahita" (long)[5][6] |
Morgan County
|
| Decatur County (1821-1825) |
Stephen Decatur, Naval Commodore |
Madison and Jackson counties
|
| Hancock County (1850–1858) |
John Hancock, Founding Father and Governor of Massachusetts[7] |
Winston County
|
| Jones County (1867) |
Elliot P. Jones, Alabama Legislature member[8] |
Lamar County
|
| Jones County (1868) |
Josiah Jones, former legislator and local political leader[8] |
Covington County
|
| Sanford County (1868–1877) |
Henry C. Sanford, Alabama Senate member[8] |
Lamar County
|
| Chugiak–Eagle River Borough (1974–1975) |
Alaska |
Chugiak, Anchorage and Eagle River, Anchorage[9] |
Municipality of Anchorage
|
| Greater Anchorage Area Borough (1964–1975) |
Anchorage[10] |
Municipality of Anchorage
|
| Greater Juneau Area Borough (1963–1970) |
Juneau[11] |
City and Borough of Juneau
|
| Greater Sitka Borough (1963–1971) |
Sitka[12] |
City and Borough of Sitka
|
| Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon Census Area (1992–2007) |
Angoon, Hoonah, and Skagway[13] |
Municipality of Skagway and Hoonah–Angoon Census Area
|
| Skagway-Yakutat-Angoon Census Area (1980–1992) |
Angoon, Skagway, and Yakutat[14] |
Municipality of Skagway, City and Borough of Yakutat and Hoonah–Angoon Census Area
|
| Valdez–Cordova Census Area (1980–2019) |
Cordova and Valdez[15] |
Chugach Census Area and Copper River Census Area
|
| Wade Hampton Census Area (1980–2015) |
Wade Hampton III, Confederate officer and South Carolina politician[16] |
Kusilvak Census Area
|
| Pah-Ute County (1865–1871) |
Arizona |
Southern Paiute people, a Native American tribe which inhabited the area[17] |
Mohave County and Clark County, Nevada
|
| Clayton County (1873–1875) |
Arkansas |
Either John M. Clayton, Arkansas Senate member, or Powell Clayton, U.S. Senator from Arkansas[18][19] |
Clay County
|
| Dorsey County (1873–1885) |
Stephen Wallace Dorsey, U.S. Senator from Arkansas[20] |
Cleveland County
|
| Lovely County (1827–1828) |
Major William Lewis Lovely, Indian agent to the Arkansas Cherokee, who managed the transaction of the county's land[21] |
Washington County and Oklahoma
|
| Miller County (1820–1838) |
James Miller, Governor of Arkansas Territory[22] |
Fannin County
|
| Sarber County (1871–1875) |
John Sarber, Arkansas Senate member[23] |
Logan County
|
| Branciforte County (1850) |
California |
Branciforte, a Spanish colonial settlement, itself named for the 1st Marquess of Branciforte[24] |
Santa Cruz County
|
| Klamath County (1851–1874) |
A derivative of the Native "Athlameth" meaning people[25] |
Humboldt and Siskiyou Counties
|
| Guadaloupe County (1861) |
Colorado |
Unknown, possibly Our Lady of Guadalupe |
Conejos County
|
| Greenwood County (1870–1874) |
Unknown |
Elbert and Bent Counties
|
| Carbonate County (1879) |
Unknown |
Chaffee and Lake Counties
|
| Uncompahgre County (1883) |
The Uncompahgre Ute band of Ute people |
Ouray County
|
| South Arapahoe County (1902–1903) |
Arapahoe County, from which it was created[26] |
Arapahoe County
|
| Westmoreland County (1776–1786) |
Connecticut |
The town of Westmoreland in the Wyoming Valley[27] |
Luzerne County
|
| Washington County (1791–1871) |
District of Columbia |
George Washington, U.S. President[28] |
Washington, D.C.
|
| Benton County (1844–1850) |
Florida |
Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. Senator from Missouri[29] |
Hernando County
|
| Fayette County (1832–1834) |
Marquis de Lafayette, Revolutionary War general and French politician[30] |
Jackson, Calhoun, and Gulf Counties
|
| Mosquito County (1824–1845) |
Los Mosquitos, the Spanish name for Florida's east coast[31] |
Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Seminole, Osceola, Orange, Lake, Polk and Palm Beach Counties
|
| New River County (1858–1861) |
New River, a tributary of the Santa Fe River[32] |
Bradford County
|
| Bourbon County (1785–1788) |
Georgia |
House of Bourbon, the European dynasty[33] |
|
| Campbell County (1828–1931) |
Duncan G. Campbell, legislator and U.S. commissioner[34] |
Douglas, Milton and Fulton Counties
|
| Cass County (1832–1861) |
Lewis Cass, Secretary of War[35] |
Bartow County
|
| Kinchafoonee County (1853–1856) |
Kinchafoonee Creek, Creek for "mortar nutshells", a type of nutcracker[36] |
Webster County
|
| Milton County (1857–1931) |
John Milton, Continental Army lieutenant and Georgia Secretary of State[37] |
Fulton County
|
| Walton County (1803–1818) |
George Walton, U.S. Senator from Georgia[38] |
Buncombe County
|
| Alturas County (1864–1895) |
Idaho |
Spanish for "mountainous heights"[39] |
Blaine and Lincoln Counties
|
| Lah-Toh County (1864–1867) |
Latah Creek, Nez Perce for "the place of pine trees and pestle"[40] |
Kootenai, Latah and Nez Perce Counties
|
| Logan County (1889–1895) |
Unknown |
Lincoln County
|
| Richardville County (1844) |
Indiana |
Jean Baptiste Richardville, civil chief of the Miami people[41] |
Howard County
|
| Slaughter County (1838–1839) |
Iowa |
William B. Slaughter, secretary of Wisconsin Territory[42] |
Washington County
|
| Bancroft County (1851–1857) |
George Bancroft, Secretary of the Navy[43] |
Kossuth County
|
| Crocker County (1871–1872) |
Marcellus M. Crocker, Union Army Brigadier general[44] |
Kossuth County
|
| Wahkaw County (1851–1853) |
Sioux for "big medicine"[45] |
Woodbury County
|
| Billings County (1873–1874) |
Kansas |
Either as a joke or for N. H. Billings, county attorney[46] |
Norton County
|
| Breckinridge County (1873–1881) |
John C. Breckinridge, Kentucky politician and U.S. Vice President[47] |
Lyon County
|
| Buffalo County (1873–1881) |
American bison, which were common in the area[48] |
Gray and Finney Counties
|
| Davis County (1855–1889) |
Jefferson Davis, then-Secretary of War[49] |
Geary County
|
| Foote County (1873–1881) |
Most likely Andrew Hull Foote, Union Naval officer[50] |
Gray County
|
| Garfield County (1887–1893) |
James A. Garfield, U.S. President[51] |
Finney County
|
| Godfrey County (1855–1861) |
Either Bill Godfrey, trader among the Osage Nation, or Gabriel Godfrey, subagent to the Potawatomi[52] |
Chautauqua and Elk Counties
|
| Howard County (1867–1875) |
Oliver Otis Howard, Union Army general[53] |
Chautauqua and Elk Counties
|
| Hunter County (1855–1864) |
Most likely Robert M. T. Hunter, Virginia politician[54] |
Butler, Cowley, Sedgwick, Sumner, Elk, Chautauqua, and Greenwood Counties
|
| Irving County (1860–1864) |
Washington Irving, author[55] |
Butler County
|
| Kansas County (1873–1883) |
The Kaw (Kansas) tribe[56] |
Seward County
|
| Madison County (1855–1861) |
Most likely James Madison, U.S. President[57] |
Lyon and Greenwood Counties
|
| Otoe County (1860–1864) |
Otoe, a Native American people[58] |
Butler County
|
| Peketon County (1859–1861) |
Unknown, possibly a Sauk word for "flat land"[59] |
Most of south west Kansas
|
| Sequoyah County (1873–1883) |
Sequoyah, creator of the Cherokee syllabary[60] |
Finney County
|
| Seward County (1861–1867) |
Most likely William H. Seward, U.S. Secretary of State[61] |
Chautauqua, Elk, and Greenwood Counties
|
| Shirley County (1860–1867) |
Either William Shirley, colonial governor of Massachusetts, or Jane Shirley, a "lady of questionable character"[62] |
Cloud County
|
| Washington County (1855–1857) |
George Washington, U.S. President[63] |
Most of south west Kansas
|
| Beckham County (1904) |
Kentucky |
J. C. W. Beckham, Governor of Kentucky[64] |
Carter County
|
| Biloxi Parish (1811-1812) |
Louisiana |
Unknown |
Coastal Mississippi
|
| Carroll Parish (1838–1877) |
Charles Carroll of Carrollton, U.S. Senator from Maryland[65] |
East Carroll and West Carroll Parishes
|
| Feliciana Parish (1810–1824) |
Marie Felicité, wife of Viceroy of New Spain Bernardo de Gálvez[66] |
East Feliciana and West Feliciana Parishes
|
| Pascagoula Parish (1811–1812) |
Unknown |
Coastal Mississippi
|
| Warren Parish (1811–1814) |
Unknown |
Ouachita and Concordia Parishes
|
| Isle Royale County (1875–1897) |
Michigan |
Isle Royale, an island in Lake Superior |
Keweenaw County
|
| Manitou County (1855–1895) |
North and South Manitou Islands, in Lake Michigan |
Leelanau County
|
| Michilimackinac County (1818–1849) |
Mi-shi-ne-macki-nong, the Ojibwe name for Mackinac Island, derived from the Mi-shi-ne-macki naw-go tribe[67] |
Mackinac County
|
| Tonedagana County (1840-1843) |
Derived from a Odawa war chief from the Cross Village area[68] |
Emmet County
|
| Manomin County (1857–1858) |
Minnesota |
A variant spelling of "manoomin", the Ojibwe term for wild rice[69] |
Anoka County
|
| Monongalia County (1861-1870) |
Unknown |
Kandiyohi County
|
| Pearl County (1872–1878) |
Mississippi |
Pearl River, a river in the area |
Pearl River County
|
| Allen County (1843–1845) |
Missouri |
Unknown |
Atchison County
|
| Ashley County (1843–1845) |
William Henry Ashley, Lieutenant Governor of Missouri[70] |
Texas County
|
| Decatur County (1843–1845) |
Stephen Decatur, Naval Commodore[71] |
Ozark County
|
| Dodge County (1849–1853) |
Unknown[72] |
Putnam County
|
| Kinderhook County (1841–1843) |
Kinderhook, New York, birthplace of Martin Van Buren[71] |
Camden County
|
| Lillard County (1821–1825) |
James Lillard, constitutional convention and Missouri General Assembly member[71] |
Camden County
|
| Niangua County (1842–1844) |
Niangua River, from the Native American "nehemgar", meaning "a river of numerous springs or sources"[73] |
Dallas County
|
| Rives County (1834–1841) |
William Cabell Rives, Senator from Virginia[73] |
Henry County
|
| Edgerton County (1865–1867) |
Montana |
Sidney Edgerton, Governor of Montana Territory[74] |
Lewis and Clark County
|
| Bullfrog County (1987–1989) |
Nevada |
Bullfrog Mining District, itself named for the gold ore there being colored like a bullfrog[75] |
Nye County
|
| Lake County (1861–1862) |
A number of lakes in the area, such as Honey Lake, Pyramid Lake, and Winnemucca Lake[76] |
Lassen County and Washoe County
|
| Ormsby County (1861–1969) |
Major William Ormsby, early settler of Carson City and militia leader during the Pyramid Lake War[77] |
Consolidated Municipality of Carson City
|
| Roop County (1862–1864) |
Isaac Roop, governor of Nevada Territory[76] |
Lassen County and Washoe County
|
| Santa Ana County (1852–1876) |
New Mexico |
Unknown |
Bernalillo and McKinley Counties
|
| Charlotte County (1772–1784) |
New York |
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of George III of the United Kingdom[78] |
Washington County
|
| Tryon County (1772–1784) |
William Tryon, colonial governor of New York[79] |
Montgomery County
|
| Glasgow County (1791–1799) |
North Carolina |
James Glasgow, North Carolina Secretary of State[80] |
Greene County
|
| Wallace County (1883–1896) |
North Dakota |
Unknown |
McKenzie County
|
| County E (1891–1892) |
Oklahoma |
Temporary name given by an Act of Congress[81] |
Ellis, Roger Mills and Woodward Counties
|
| Day County (1892–1907) |
Charles Day, a contractor who built the courthouse at Ioland[82] |
Ellis, Roger Mills and Woodward Counties
|
| Swanson County (1910–1911) |
Claude A. Swanson, Governor of Virginia[83] |
Comanche County
|
| Umpqua County (1851–1862) |
Oregon |
The Umpqua River, a river in the area[84] |
Douglas and Coos Counties
|
| Ontario County (1810–1812) |
Pennsylvania |
Unknown |
Bradford County
|
| Claremont County (1785–1800) |
South Carolina |
Unknown[85] |
Sumter County
|
| Granville County (1785–1798) |
John Granville, Earl of Bath, British landowner[86] |
Beaufort and Colleton Counties
|
| Lewisburg County (1785–1791) |
Unknown |
Orangeburg County
|
| Liberty County (1785–1798) |
The freedom gained due to the American Revolution[87] |
Marion County
|
| Orange County (1785–1791) |
William of Orange, King of England[88] |
Orangeburg County
|
| Salem County (1791–1800) |
Unknown, probably after Salem Black River Presbyterian Church[89] |
Sumter County
|
| Winton County (1785–1800) |
Unknown |
Barnwell County
|
| Winyah County (1785–1800) |
Winyah Bay, an estuary in the area[90] |
Georgetown County
|
| Armstrong County (1895–1953) |
South Dakota |
Moses K. Armstrong, delegate to the House of Representatives for Dakota at-large[91] |
Dewey, Stanley, and Ziebach Counties
|
| Lugenbeel County (1889–1909) |
Pinkney Lugenbeel, United States Army officer[92] |
Bennett and Todd Counties
|
| Pyatt County (1883–1895) |
Unknown |
Dewey, Stanley, and Ziebach Counties
|
| Shannon County (1875–2015) |
Peter C. Shannon, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Dakota Territory[93] |
Oglala Lakota County
|
| Washabaugh County (1883–1983) |
Frank J. Washabaugh, member of the Dakota Territorial Council[94] |
Jackson County
|
| Washington County (1883–1943) |
George Washington, U.S. President[94] |
Jackson, Pennington and Shannon Counties
|
| James County (1871–1919) |
Tennessee |
Rev. Jesse J. James, father of Elbert Abdiel James, who introduced legislation to form the county[95] |
Hamilton County
|
| Buchanan County (1858–1861) |
Texas |
James Buchanan, U.S. President[96] |
Stephens County
|
| Buchel County (1887–1897) |
Augustus Buchel, Confederate colonel[97] |
Brewster County
|
| Dawson County (1858–1866) |
Nicholas Mosby Dawson, Republic of Texas military leader and commander in the Dawson massacre[98] |
Uvalde and Kinney Counties
|
| Davis County (1861–1871) |
Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America[99] |
Cass County
|
| Encinal County (1856–1899) |
Unknown |
Webb County
|
| Foley County (1887–1897) |
Unknown |
Brewster County
|
| Harrisburg County (1836–1839) |
Harrisburg, Houston, itself named after Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and its founder, John Richardson Harris[100] |
Harris County
|
| Navasota County (1841–1842) |
Unknown |
Brazos County
|
| Wegefarth County (1873–1876) |
Conrad Wegefarth, president of the Texas Immigrant Aid and Supply Company[101] |
Collingsworth, Donley, Briscoe, Childress, Gray, Hall, and Wheeler Counties
|
| Cedar County (1856–1862) |
Utah |
Cedar trees growing in the area (which are actually juniper trees)[102][103] |
Utah County
|
| Desert County (1852–1862) |
The surrounding desert |
Box Elder and Tooele Counties
|
| Greasewood County (1856–1862) |
Sarcobatus (greasewood) plant, which grew in the area[104] |
Box Elder County
|
| Green River County (1852–1872) |
The Green River, a Colorado River tributary[105] |
Cache, Weber, Morgan, Davis, Wasatch, Summit, Duchesne, Carbon, and Utah Counties
|
| Malad County (1856–1862) |
The Malad River, from the French "malade" meaning sick[106] |
Box Elder County
|
| Rio Virgen County (1869–1872) |
The Virgin River, a Colorado River tributary[107] |
Washington County
|
| Shambip County (1856–1862) |
Unknown, possibly the Goshute word for the bulrush plant[108] |
Tooele County
|
| Elizabeth City County (1634–1952) |
Virginia |
Elizabeth Stuart, Queen consort of Bohemia[109] |
City of Hampton
|
| Fincastle County (1772–1776) |
Either Viscount of Fincastle, Scottish Peer, Earl of Dunmore, governor of Virginia, or Fincastle, Virginia[110] |
Montgomery and Washington Counties
|
| Illinois County (1778–1784) |
The Algonquian word "ilinouek", meaning "ordinary speaker"[111] |
Ohio and Illinois
|
| Kentucky County (1778–1784) |
The Iroquois word "ken-tah-ten", meaning either "land of tomorrow", "meadow", "prairie", or "the river of blood"[112] |
Kentucky
|
| Nansemond County (1646–1972) |
The Nansemond indigenous people[113] |
City of Suffolk
|
| City of Nansemond (1972–1974)
|
| Norfolk County (1691–1963) |
Most likely Norfolk, home county of Captain Adam Thoroughgood[114] |
City of Chesapeake
|
| Princess Anne County (1691–1963) |
Queen Anne, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland[115] |
City of Virginia Beach
|
| Warwick County (1634–1952) |
Either Robert Rich, Earl of Warwick, or Warwick, a town in the UK[116] |
City of Newport News
|
| City of Warwick (1952–1958)
|
| Yohogania County (1776–1779) |
The Youghiogheny River, a tributary of the Monongahela River |
Westmoreland County
|
| Chehalis County (1854–1915) |
Washington |
The Chehalis people, meaning "sand" or "inlanders"[117] |
Grays Harbor County
|
| Quillehuyte County (1868–1869) |
Most likely the Quileute natives |
Clallam and Jefferson Counties
|
| Sawamish County (1868–1869) |
The Sahewamish natives[118] |
Mason County
|
| Slaughter County (1857) |
Lieutenant William A. Slaughter, who had been killed at White River a year prior[119] |
Kitsap County
|
| La Pointe County (1845–1866) |
Wisconsin |
La Pointe, Wisconsin |
Itasca, Washington, Ramsey, Benton, Douglas, Ashland, and Bayfield Counties
|
| Carter County (1867–1869) |
Wyoming |
William Alexander Carter, a sutler from Fort Bridger, Wyoming[120] |
Sweetwater County
|
| Pease County (1875–1879) |
E. L. Pease, President of the Territorial Legislative Council[121] |
Johnson County
|
