# List of former U.S. county name etymologies

This is a list of etymologies of former counties of the United States, including former names of current counties.

## List

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