# List of U.S. county name etymologies (S–Z)

This is a list of U.S. county name etymologies, covering the letters S to Z.

## S

| County name | State | Origin |
| Sabine County | Texas | Named for the Sabine River (from Spanish sabina, "cypress") |
| Sabine Parish | Louisiana | Named for the Sabine River (from Spanish sabina, "cypress") |
| Sac County | Iowa | Named for the Sauk (Sac) people |
| Sacramento County | California | Named for the city of Sacramento, California, itself named after the sacrament of the Eucharist |
| Sagadahoc County | Maine | From an Abenaki word meaning "mouth of the big river;" referring to the Kennebec River. |
| Saginaw County | Michigan | Uncertain; probably from Ojibwe words meaning "place of the outlet": sag (opening) + ong (place of). |
| Saguache County | Colorado | From a Ute word, "Sa-gua-gua-chi-pa", which roughly translated to "Blue Earth" and referred to clear blue waters from springs in the county. |
| City of Salem | Virginia | Named for Salem, New Jersey, in honor of William Bryan, who had moved from there. |
| Salem County | New Jersey | From Salem, a town mentioned in the Old Testament, from Hebrew shalom, "peace"; also from Salem Tenth, an early division of colonial West Jersey. |
| Saline County | Arkansas | Named for the salt water (brine) springs in the area. |
| Saline County | Illinois | Named for the Saline River (a tributary of the Ohio River). |
| Saline County | Kansas | Named for the Saline River (a tributary of the Smoky Hill River). |
| Saline County | Missouri | Named for the salt water (brine) springs in the area. |
| Saline County | Nebraska | Named for a belief held by the early pioneers that great salt springs and deposits could be found in the area, a hope found to be false. |
| Salt Lake County | Utah | Named for the Great Salt Lake. |
| Saluda County | South Carolina | Named for the Saluda River, named for a Native American tribe that lived along it (also Seleuda, Salutah). |
| Sampson County | North Carolina | Named for John Sampson, politician. |
| San Augustine County | Texas | Named for the town of San Augustine, Texas, named for the Presidio de San Agustín de Ahumada, named for Agustín de Ahumada, 2nd Marquess of Amarillas. |
| San Benito County | California | Named for the San Benito River, named in turn for Saint Benedict of Nursia. |
| San Bernardino County | California | Named for the San Bernardino Valley, named for San Bernardino de Sena Estancia, named in turn for Bernardino of Siena. |
| San Diego County | California | Named for Saint Didacus of Alcalá. |
| City and County of San Francisco | California | From Mission San Francisco de Asís, a Spanish mission located in what is now the city's Mission District and named for Francis of Assisi. |
| San Jacinto County | Texas | Named for the Battle of San Jacinto, which took place near the San Jacinto River, named for Saint Hyacinth of Caesarea. |
| San Joaquin County | California | Named for the San Joaquin River, named for Joachim, father of Mary, mother of Jesus. |
| San Juan County | Colorado | Named for the San Juan River, named for John the Baptist. |
| San Juan County | New Mexico | Named for the San Juan River, named for John the Baptist. |
| San Juan County | Utah | Named for the San Juan River, named for John the Baptist. |
| San Juan County | Washington | Named for the San Juan Islands. |
| San Luis Obispo County | California | Named for the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa ("Mission of Saint Louis, Bishop of Toulouse"), named in turn for Louis of Toulouse. |
| San Mateo County | California | Named for Saint Matthew. |
| San Miguel County | Colorado | Named for the San Miguel River, which runs through the county. |
| San Miguel County | New Mexico | Named for the church at San Miguel del Vado, Spanish for "Saint Michael of the ford." |
| San Patricio County | Texas | Named for Saint Patrick; the original settlers were Irish Catholics. |
| San Saba County | Texas | Named for the San Saba River, which was named for Saint Sabbas the Sanctified. |
| Sanborn County | South Dakota | Named for George W. Sanborn, president of the Milwaukee Railroad. |
| Sanders County | Montana | Named for Wilbur Fiske Sanders, pioneer and U.S. Senator. |
| Sandoval County | New Mexico | Named for the Sandoval family, 17th-century landowners. |
| Sandusky County | Ohio | Named for the Sandusky River, from Wyandot saandusti, "water (within water-pools)"; or andusti, "cold water". |
| Sangamon County | Illinois | Named for the Sangamon River, from Pottawatomie Sain-guee-mon meaning "where there is plenty to eat." |
| Sanilac County | Michigan | Named for Sanilac, a Wyandot (Huron) chief. |
| Sanpete County | Utah | Named for Sanpitch, a Ute chief. |
| Santa Barbara County | California | Named for Santa Barbara, California, named for the Santa Barbara Channel, named for Saint Barbara. |
| Santa Clara County | California | Named for Santa Clara, California, named for the Mission Santa Clara de Asís, itself named for Saint Clare of Assisi. |
| Santa Cruz County | Arizona | Named for the Santa Cruz River. ("Holy Cross" in Spanish) |
| Santa Cruz County | California | Named for Santa Cruz, California, named for the Mission Santa Cruz, itself named for Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. |
| Santa Fe County | New Mexico | Named for Santa Fe, New Mexico, from the Spanish for "holy faith." |
| Santa Rosa County | Florida | Named for Saint Rose of Viterbo. |
| Sarasota County | Florida | Named for Sarasota, Florida, first recorded as Zarazote, of uncertain origin. |
| Saratoga County | New York | From Iroquois sah-rah-ka, "the hill beside the river" |
| Sargent County | North Dakota | Named for H. E. Sargent, railroad executive. |
| Sarpy County | Nebraska | Named for Peter A. Sarpy, fur trader and businessman. |
| Sauk County | Wisconsin | Named for the Sauk people. |
| Saunders County | Nebraska | Named for Alvin Saunders, governor of the Nebraska Territory. |
| Sawyer County | Wisconsin | Named for Philetus Sawyer, politician. |
| Schenectady County | New York | Named for Schenectady, New York, from the Mohawk skahnéhtati, "beyond the pines." |
| Schleicher County | Texas | Named for Gustav Schleicher, engineer, politician and Confederate soldier. |
| Schley County | Georgia | Named for William Schley, lawyer, jurist, and politician. |
| Schoharie County | New York | Named for Schoharie, New York, from the Mohawk skoharle, "driftwood." |
| Schoolcraft County | Michigan | Named for Henry Schoolcraft, geographer, geologist, and ethnologist. |
| Schuyler County | Illinois | Named for Philip Schuyler, Revolutionary War general and U.S. Senator. |
| Schuyler County | Missouri | Named for Philip Schuyler, Revolutionary War general and U.S. Senator. |
| Schuyler County | New York | Named for Philip Schuyler, Revolutionary War general and U.S. Senator. |
| Schuylkill County | Pennsylvania | Named for the Schuylkill River, from Dutch meaning "hidden river" or "sheltered creek." |
| Scioto County | Ohio | Named for the Scioto River, from Wyandot skɛnǫ·tǫ, "deer." |
| Scotland County | Missouri | Named for Scotland. |
| Scotland County | North Carolina | Named for Scotland. |
| Scott County | Iowa | Named for General Winfield Scott. |
| Scott County | Kansas | Named for General Winfield Scott. |
| Scott County | Minnesota | Named for General Winfield Scott. |
| Scott County | Tennessee | Named for General Winfield Scott. |
| Scott County | Virginia | Named for General Winfield Scott. |
| Scott County | Indiana | Named for Charles Scott, 4th Governor of Kentucky. |
| Scott County | Kentucky | Named for Charles Scott, 4th Governor of Kentucky. |
| Scott County | Arkansas | Named for Andrew Scott, judge. |
| Scott County | Illinois | Named for Scott County, Kentucky. |
| Scott County | Mississippi | Named for Abram M. Scott, 7th Governor of Mississippi. |
| Scott County | Missouri | Named for John Scott, politician. |
| Scotts Bluff County | Nebraska | Named for Scotts Bluff, named for mountain man and trapper Hiram Scott. |
| Screven County | Georgia | Named for General James Screven, Revolutionary War soldier. |
| Scurry County | Texas | Named for William Read Scurry, Confederate general. |
| Searcy County | Arkansas | Named for Richard Searcy, first clerk and judge in the Arkansas Territory. |
| Sebastian County | Arkansas | Named for William K. Sebastian, U.S. Senator. |
| Sedgwick County | Colorado | Named for Fort Sedgwick, an Army post itself named for Civil War general John Sedgwick. |
| Sedgwick County | Kansas | Named for Civil War general John Sedgwick. |
| Seminole County | Florida | Named for the Seminole people. |
| Seminole County | Georgia | Named for the Seminole people. |
| Seminole County | Oklahoma | Named for the Seminole people. |
| Seneca County | New York | Named for the Seneca people. |
| Seneca County | Ohio | Named for the Seneca people. |
| Sequatchie County | Tennessee | From a Cherokee chief, whose name was from Cherokee siqua utsetsisti, "opossum, he grins or runs". |
| Sequoyah County | Oklahoma | Named for Sequoyah, Cherokee linguist. |
| Sevier County | Arkansas | Named for Ambrose Hundley Sevier, politician. |
| Sevier County | Tennessee | Named for John Sevier (1745–1815), governor of the State of Franklin and first Governor of Tennessee. |
| Sevier County | Utah | Named for the Sevier River (Spanish: Río Severo, "harsh river"). |
| Seward County | Kansas | Named for William H. Seward, U.S. Secretary of State and opponent of slavery. |
| Seward County | Nebraska | Named for William H. Seward, U.S. Secretary of State and opponent of slavery. |
| Shackelford County | Texas | Named for Jack Shackelford, doctor and soldier of the Texas Revolution. |
| Shannon County | Missouri | Named for George Shannon, explorer on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. |
| Sharkey County | Mississippi | Named for William L. Sharkey, 25th Governor of Mississippi. |
| Sharp County | Arkansas | Named for Ephraim Sharp, a state legislator. |
| Shasta County | California | Named for Mount Shasta, named in turn for the Shasta people. |
| Shawano County | Wisconsin | From Sawanoh, a Menominee chief. |
| Shawnee County | Kansas | Named for the Shawnee people. |
| Sheboygan County | Wisconsin | Named for the Sheboygan River, from Chippewa Shawb-wa-way-gun, meaning "hollow bone", "noise underground" or "river disappearing underground." |
| Shelby County | Alabama | Named for Isaac Shelby, soldier and politician. |
| Shelby County | Illinois | Named for Isaac Shelby, soldier and politician. |
| Shelby County | Indiana | Named for Isaac Shelby, soldier and politician. |
| Shelby County | Iowa | Named for Isaac Shelby, soldier and politician. |
| Shelby County | Kentucky | Named for Isaac Shelby, soldier and politician. |
| Shelby County | Missouri | Named for Isaac Shelby, soldier and politician. |
| Shelby County | Ohio | Named for Isaac Shelby, soldier and politician. |
| Shelby County | Tennessee | Named for Isaac Shelby, soldier and politician. |
| Shelby County | Texas | Named for Isaac Shelby, soldier and politician. |
| Shenandoah County | Virginia | Named for the Shenandoah River, named for the Senedo people. |
| Sherburne County | Minnesota | Named for Moses Sherburne, politician and judge. |
| Sheridan County | Kansas | Named for Philip Sheridan, U.S. Army general. |
| Sheridan County | Montana | Named for Philip Sheridan, U.S. Army general. |
| Sheridan County | Nebraska | Named for Philip Sheridan, U.S. Army general. |
| Sheridan County | North Dakota | Named for Philip Sheridan, U.S. Army general. |
| Sheridan County | Wyoming | Named for Philip Sheridan, U.S. Army general. |
| Sherman County | Kansas | Named for Founding Father Roger Sherman. |
| Sherman County | Nebraska | Named for Founding Father Roger Sherman. |
| Sherman County | Oregon | Named for Founding Father Roger Sherman. |
| Sherman County | Texas | Named for Founding Father Roger Sherman. |
| Shiawassee County | Michigan | Named for the Shiawassee River, from the Chippewa shia-was-see, "river straight ahead." |
| Shoshone County | Idaho | Named for the Shoshone people. |
| Sibley County | Minnesota | Named for Henry Hastings Sibley, first Governor of Minnesota. |
| Sierra County | California | Named for the Sierra Nevada ("snowy jagged mountain range"). |
| Sierra County | New Mexico | Named for the Black Range (Spanish: Sierra Diablo). |
| Silver Bow County | Montana | Named for the Silver Bow Creek, named for how it sparkled in the sun. |
| Simpson County | Kentucky | Named for John Simpson, soldier and politician. |
| Simpson County | Mississippi | Named for Josiah Simpson, judge. |
| Sioux County | Iowa | Named for the Sioux (Oceti Sakowin) people. |
| Sioux County | Nebraska | Named for the Sioux (Oceti Sakowin) people. |
| Sioux County | North Dakota | Named for the Sioux (Oceti Sakowin) people. |
| Siskiyou County | California | Named for the Siskiyou Trail, of unclear origin: Chinook Jargon for "bob-tailed horse," or French six callioux, "six stones." |
| Sitka City and Borough | Alaska | From Tlingit Shee At'iká, "people on the outside of Baranof Island." |
| Skagit County | Washington | Named for the Skagit peoples. |
| Skamania County | Washington | From the Cascades Chinook sk'mániak, "swift waters." |
| Slope County | North Dakota | Named for the Missouri Slope, a geographical feature. |
| Smith County | Kansas | Named for J. Nelson Smith, Union soldier in the Civil War. |
| Smith County | Mississippi | Named for David Smith, Revolutionary War major. |
| Smith County | Tennessee | Named for Revolutionary War officer and U.S. Senator Daniel Smith |
| Smith County | Texas | Named for James Smith, a general during the Texas Revolution. |
| Smyth County | Virginia | Named for Alexander Smyth, politician. |
| Snohomish County | Washington | Named for the Snohomish River and the Snohomish people. |
| Snyder County | Pennsylvania | Named for Simon Snyder, third Governor of Pennsylvania. |
| Socorro County | New Mexico | Named for Socorro, New Mexico, from the Spanish socorro, "help, aid." |
| Solano County | California | Named for Sem-Yeto, Suisun chief baptized as Francisco Solano. |
| Somerset County | Maine | Named for Somerset, England. |
| Somerset County | Maryland | Named for Mary, Lady Somerset, wife of Sir John Somerset and daughter of Thomas Arundell, 1st Baron Arundell of Wardour. |
| Somerset County | New Jersey | Named for Somerset, England. |
| Somerset County | Pennsylvania | Named for Somerset, England. |
| Somervell County | Texas | Named for Alexander Somervell, Secretary of War of the Republic of Texas. |
| Sonoma County | California | Named for the city of Sonoma, California, from the Miwok sonoma, "many moons." |
| Southampton County | Virginia | Named for either Southampton, England, or Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | Alaska | Named for its location to the southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska |
| Spalding County | Georgia | Named for Thomas Spalding, politician. |
| Spartanburg County | South Carolina | Named for Spartanburg, South Carolina, from a local militia called the Spartan Regiment in the Revolutionary War. |
| Spencer County | Indiana | Named for Spier Spencer, soldier. |
| Spencer County | Kentucky | Named for Spier Spencer, soldier. |
| Spink County | South Dakota | Named for S. L. Spink, politician. |
| Spokane County | Washington | Named for the Spokane people. |
| Spotsylvania County | Virginia | Named for Alexander Spotswood, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. |
| St. Bernard Parish | Louisiana | Named for Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who was the patron saint of colonial administrator Bernardo de Gálvez, 1st Viscount of Galveston. |
| St. Charles County | Missouri | Named for Saint Charles Borromeo. |
| St. Charles Parish | Louisiana | Named for Saint Charles Borromeo. |
| St. Clair County | Alabama | Named for Arthur St. Clair, major general in the Revolutionary War and first Governor of the Northwest Territory. |
| St. Clair County | Illinois | Named for Arthur St. Clair, major general in the Revolutionary War and first Governor of the Northwest Territory. |
| St. Clair County | Michigan | Named for Lake St. Clair, named in honor of Saint Clare of Assisi. |
| St. Clair County | Missouri | Named for Arthur St. Clair, major general in the Revolutionary War and first Governor of the Northwest Territory. |
| St. Croix County | Wisconsin | Named for the St. Croix River. |
| St. Francis County | Arkansas | Named for the St. Francis River. |
| St. Francois County | Missouri | Named for the St. Francis River. |
| St. Helena Parish | Louisiana | Named for Saint Helena. |
| St. James Parish | Louisiana | Named for Saint James. |
| St. John the Baptist Parish | Louisiana | Named for John the Baptist. |
| St. Johns County | Florida | Named for the San Juan del Puerto mission ("Saint John of the Port"). |
| St. Joseph County | Indiana | Named for the St. Joseph River. |
| St. Joseph County | Michigan | Named for Fort St. Joseph in Niles, which was named for Saint Joseph. |
| St. Landry Parish | Louisiana | Named for St. Landry Catholic Church, named in honor of Saint Landry of Paris (Landericus). |
| St. Lawrence County | New York | Named for the Saint Lawrence River, named in honor of Saint Lawrence. |
| City of St. Louis | Missouri | Named for Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). |
| St. Louis County | Minnesota | Named for the Saint Louis River, named by Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye after the Order of Saint Louis that he received. |
| St. Louis County | Missouri | Named for Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). |
| St. Lucie County | Florida | Named for the St. Lucie Inlet, named in turn for Saint Lucy. |
| St. Martin Parish | Louisiana | Named for Saint Martin of Tours. |
| St. Mary Parish | Louisiana | Named for Mary, mother of Jesus. |
| St. Mary's County | Maryland | Named for St. Mary's City, Maryland, named in honor of Mary, mother of Jesus. |
| St. Tammany Parish | Louisiana | Named for Tamanend, a Lenni-Lenape chief in the Delaware Valley during the 17th century who made peace with William Penn. |
| Stafford County | Kansas | Named for Lewis Stafford, Union soldier in the Civil War. |
| Stafford County | Virginia | Named for Staffordshire, England. |
| Stanislaus County | California | Named for the Stanislaus River, named in turn for Estanislao, a Lakisamni leader. |
| Stanley County | South Dakota | Named for David S. Stanley, Union Army Civil War general. |
| Stanly County | North Carolina | Named for John Stanly, politician. |
| Stanton County | Kansas | Named for Edwin Stanton, U.S. Attorney General and Secretary of War. |
| Stanton County | Nebraska | Named for Edwin Stanton, U.S. Attorney General and Secretary of War. |
| City of Staunton | Virginia | Named for Lady Rebecca Staunton, wife of Virginia colonial governor Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet. |
| Stark County | Illinois | Named for John Stark, general in the Revolutionary War. |
| Stark County | North Dakota | Named for George Stark, a vice president of the Northern Pacific Railroad. |
| Stark County | Ohio | Named for John Stark, general in the Revolutionary War. |
| Starke County | Indiana | Named for John Stark, general in the Revolutionary War. |
| Starr County | Texas | Named for James Harper Starr, director of the postal service of the Trans-Mississippi Department. |
| Ste. Genevieve County | Missouri | Named for Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, named for Saint Genevieve. |
| Stearns County | Minnesota | Named for Charles Thomas Stearns, politician. |
| Steele County | Minnesota | Named for Franklin Steele, early settler. |
| Steele County | North Dakota | Named for Edward H. Steele, businessman. |
| Stephens County | Georgia | Named for Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America. |
| Stephens County | Oklahoma | Named for John Hall Stephens, Texas politician. |
| Stephens County | Texas | Named for Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America. |
| Stephenson County | Illinois | Named for Benjamin Stephenson, politician. |
| Sterling County | Texas | Named for W. S. Sterling, an early settler. |
| Steuben County | Indiana | Named for Baron Frederick von Steuben, an officer of the Revolutionary War. |
| Steuben County | New York | Named for Baron Frederick von Steuben, an officer of the Revolutionary War. |
| Stevens County | Kansas | Named for Thaddeus Stevens, politician. |
| Stevens County | Minnesota | Named for Isaac Stevens, soldier and first Governor of Washington Territory. |
| Stevens County | Washington | Named for Isaac Stevens, soldier and first Governor of Washington Territory. |
| Stewart County | Georgia | Named for General Daniel Stewart. |
| Stewart County | Tennessee | Named for Duncan Stewart, Tennessee state legislator and lieutenant governor of Mississippi Territory. |
| Stillwater County | Montana | Named for the Stillwater River. |
| Stoddard County | Missouri | Named for Amos Stoddard, soldier. |
| Stokes County | North Carolina | Named for John Stokes, judge. |
| Stone County | Arkansas | Named for its rocky terrain. |
| Stone County | Mississippi | Named for John Marshall Stone, 31st and 33rd Governor of Mississippi. |
| Stone County | Missouri | Named for William Stone, early settler. |
| Stonewall County | Texas | Named for Lieutenant General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson |
| Storey County | Nevada | Named for Edward Farris Storey, Nevada settler killed by Paiute. |
| Story County | Iowa | Named for Joseph Story, a preeminent United States Supreme Court Justice. |
| Strafford County | New Hampshire | Named for William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford, English nobleman. |
| Stutsman County | North Dakota | Named for Enos Stutsman, lawyer and politician. |
| Sublette County | Wyoming | Named for William Sublette, mountain man and fur trapper. |
| City of Suffolk | Virginia | Named for Suffolk, England. |
| Suffolk County | Massachusetts | Named for Suffolk, England. |
| Suffolk County | New York | Named for Suffolk, England. |
| Sullivan County | Indiana | Named for Daniel Sullivan, a soldier of the Revolutionary War. |
| Sullivan County | Missouri | Named for John Sullivan, General in the Revolutionary War and Governor of New Hampshire. |
| Sullivan County | New Hampshire | Named for John Sullivan, General in the Revolutionary War and Governor of New Hampshire. |
| Sullivan County | New York | Named for John Sullivan, General in the Revolutionary War and Governor of New Hampshire. |
| Sullivan County | Pennsylvania | Named for Charles C. Sullivan, politician. |
| Sullivan County | Tennessee | Named for John Sullivan, Governor of New Hampshire. |
| Sully County | South Dakota | Named for Alfred Sully, soldier. |
| Summers County | West Virginia | Named for George W. Summers, politician. |
| Summit County | Colorado | Named for the numerous mountain peaks which fill the region, including Grays Peak and Torreys Peak. |
| Summit County | Ohio | Named for the highest elevation on the Ohio and Erie Canal. |
| Summit County | Utah | Named for the summits of the Wasatch Range and Uinta Mountains. |
| Sumner County | Kansas | Named for Jethro Sumner (1733–1785), an American colonist who defended North Carolina against the British in 1780. |
| Sumner County | Tennessee | Named for Jethro Sumner (1733–1785), an American colonist who defended North Carolina against the British in 1780. |
| Sumter County | Alabama | Named for Thomas Sumter, general in the Revolutionary War. |
| Sumter County | Florida | Named for Thomas Sumter, general in the Revolutionary War. |
| Sumter County | Georgia | Named for Thomas Sumter, general in the Revolutionary War. |
| Sumter County | South Carolina | Named for Thomas Sumter, general in the Revolutionary War. |
| Sunflower County | Mississippi | Named for the Sunflower River. |
| Surry County | North Carolina | Named for Surrey, England. |
| Surry County | Virginia | Named for Surrey, England. |
| Susquehanna County | Pennsylvania | Named for the Susquehanna River, from Unami Sisa'we'hak'hanna, “Oyster River” |
| Sussex County | Delaware | Named for Sussex, England. |
| Sussex County | New Jersey | Named for Sussex, England. |
| Sussex County | Virginia | Named for Sussex, England. |
| Sutter County | California | Named for Sutter's Fort, built by John Sutter. |
| Sutton County | Texas | Named for John S. Sutton, Confederate officer. |
| Suwannee County | Florida | Named for the Suwannee River. |
| Swain County | North Carolina | Named for David Lowry Swain, 26th Governor of North Carolina. |
| Sweet Grass County | Montana | Named for the abundant sweet grass (Muhlenbergia sericea). |
| Sweetwater County | Wyoming | Named for the Sweetwater River. |
| Swift County | Minnesota | Named for Henry Adoniram Swift, 3rd Governor of Minnesota. |
| Swisher County | Texas | Named for James G. Swisher, a soldier of the Texas Revolution. |
| Switzerland County | Indiana | Named for Switzerland, homeland of many of the early settlers. |

## T

| County name | State | Origin |
| Talbot County | Georgia | Named for Matthew Talbot, 30th Governor of Georgia. |
| Talbot County | Maryland | Named for Grace, Lady Talbot, the wife of Sir Robert Talbot, an Irish statesman, and the sister of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. |
| Taliaferro County | Georgia | Named for Colonel Benjamin Taliaferro of Virginia, an officer in the American Revolution. |
| Talladega County | Alabama | The name Talladega is derived from a Muscogee (Creek) Native American word Tvlvteke, from the Creek tålwa, meaning "town", and åtigi, or "border" -- "Border Town"—a town indicating its location on the boundary between the lands of the Creek tribe and those of the Cherokee and Chickasaw. |
| Tallahatchie County | Mississippi | Choctaw name meaning "rock of waters". |
| Tallapoosa County | Alabama | Name of Creek origin. |
| Tama County | Iowa | Named for Taimah, a leader of the Meskwaki. |
| Taney County | Missouri | Named in honor of Roger Brooke Taney, fifth Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. |
| Tangipahoa Parish | Louisiana | Tangipahoa comes from an Acolapissa word meaning "ear of corn" or "those who gather corn." |
| Taos County | New Mexico | "Place of red willows" in the Taos language. |
| Tarrant County | Texas | Named in honor of General Edward H. Tarrant. |
| Tate County | Mississippi | Named for Thomas Simpson Tate, one of the first prominent settlers of the area. |
| Tattnall County | Georgia | Named for Josiah Tattnall Sr., U.S. Senator and 25th Governor of Georgia. |
| Taylor County | Florida | Named for Zachary Taylor, twelfth President of the United States of America. |
| Taylor County | Georgia | Named for Zachary Taylor, twelfth President of the United States of America. |
| Taylor County | Iowa | Named for Zachary Taylor, twelfth President of the United States of America. |
| Taylor County | Kentucky | Named for Zachary Taylor, twelfth President of the United States of America. |
| Taylor County | Texas | Named for Edward Taylor, George Taylor, and James Taylor, three brothers who died at the Battle of the Alamo. |
| Taylor County | West Virginia | Named for Sen. John Taylor of Caroline. |
| Taylor County | Wisconsin | Probably named for William Robert Taylor, 12th Governor of Wisconsin |
| Tazewell County | Illinois | Named in honor of Littleton Waller Tazewell, U.S. Senator and Governor of Virginia, and/or Littleton's father, prominent Virginia politician Henry Tazewell. |
| Tazewell County | Virginia | Named after Henry Tazewell, a United States senator from Virginia as well as a state legislator and judge. |
| Tehama County | California | Named after Tehama, California; possibly from Spanish tejamanil ("shingle"), or a Native word for "high water." |
| Telfair County | Georgia | Named for Edward Telfair, sixteenth governor of Georgia and member of the Continental Congress. |
| Teller County | Colorado | Named for Henry M. Teller, a U.S. Senator and the 15th United States Secretary of the Interior. |
| Tensas Parish | Louisiana | Derived from the Taensa people. |
| Terrebonne Parish | Louisiana | French for "good land" or "good earth". |
| Terrell County | Georgia | Named for U.S. Representative William Terrell. |
| Terrell County | Texas | Named for Texas state senator Alexander W. Terrell. |
| Terry County | Texas | Named for Benjamin Franklin Terry, a colonel in the Confederate Army. |
| Teton County | Idaho | Named after the Teton Mountains. |
| Teton County | Montana | Named for the Teton River (Montana) |
| Teton County | Wyoming | Named for the Teton Range |
| Texas County | Missouri | Named after the Republic of Texas. |
| Texas County | Oklahoma | So named because it was wholly included within the limits of the Texas Cession of 1850, whereby the ownership of the area was passed from the State of Texas to the United States Government. |
| Thayer County | Nebraska | Named after the General and Governor John Milton Thayer. |
| Thomas County | Georgia | Named for Jett Thomas, officer in the War of 1812; also known for overseeing the construction of the first building at the University of Georgia as well as the state capitol at Milledgeville. |
| Thomas County | Kansas | Named for George Henry Thomas, Union General in the American Civil War. |
| Thomas County | Nebraska | Named after General George H. Thomas. |
| Throckmorton County | Texas | Named for William Throckmorton, an early Collin County settler. |
| Thurston County | Nebraska | Named after U.S. Senator John M. Thurston. |
| Thurston County | Washington | Named after Samuel R. Thurston, the Oregon Territory's first delegate to Congress. |
| Tift County | Georgia | Named for Nelson Tift, founder of the city of Albany and United States Representative. |
| Tillamook County | Oregon | Named for the Tillamook, a Native American tribe. |
| Tillman County | Oklahoma | Benjamin Tillman, U.S. Senator and 84th Governor of South Carolina |
| Tioga County | New York | Derived from an American Indian word meaning "at the forks", describing a meeting place. |
| Tioga County | Pennsylvania | Named for the Tioga River. |
| Tippah County | Mississippi | The name "Tippah" is a Chickasaw word meaning "cut off", and is taken from the creek of the same name that flows across much of the original county from northeast to southwest before emptying into the Tallahatchie River. The creek probably was so named because it, and the ridges on either side, "cut off" the western part of the region from the eastern portion. |
| Tippecanoe County | Indiana | Named for the Tippecanoe River and the Battle of Tippecanoe. |
| Tipton County | Indiana | Tipton is named for John Tipton, a soldier of the Battle of Tippecanoe. |
| Tipton County | Tennessee | Named for Jacob Tipton, who was killed by Native Americans in a conflict over the Northwest Territory. |
| Tishomingo County | Mississippi | Tishomingo (1734–1838), a Chickasaw chieftain |
| Titus County | Texas | Named for Andrew Jackson Titus, an early settler. |
| Todd County | Kentucky | Named after John Todd, an early frontier military figure. |
| Todd County | Minnesota | Named after John Blair Smith Todd, delegate from Dakota Territory to the United States House of Representatives and General in the Union Army during the American Civil War. |
| Todd County | South Dakota | Named after John Blair Smith Todd, delegate from Dakota Territory to the United States House of Representatives and General in the Union Army during the American Civil War. |
| Tolland County | Connecticut | Named for the town of Tolland, Connecticut, which itself is named after Tolland, Somerset. |
| Tom Green County | Texas | Named for Thomas Green, a Confederate brigadier general. |
| Tompkins County | New York | Named in honor of Daniel D. Tompkins, Governor of New York and Vice President of the United States of America. |
| Tooele County | Utah | It is thought that the name derives from a Native American chief, but controversy exists about whether such chief lived. Alternate explanations hypothesize that the name comes from "tu-wanda", the Goshute word for "bear", or from "tule", a Spanish word of Aztec origins meaning "bulrush" (Schoenoplectus). |
| Toole County | Montana | Named for Joseph Toole, Montana's first governor. |
| Toombs County | Georgia | Named for Robert Toombs, United States representative and senator. |
| Torrance County | New Mexico | Named for Francis J. Torrance, a promoter of the New Mexico Central Railroad. |
| Towner County | North Dakota | Named after Oscar M. Towner, a member of the United States House of Representatives. |
| Towns County | Georgia | Named for lawyer, legislator, and politician George W. Towns. |
| Traill County | North Dakota | Named after Walter John Strickland Traill, an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company and son of Canadian pioneer Catharine Parr Traill. |
| Transylvania County | North Carolina | Derived from the Transylvania Company and has Latin origins: trans ("across") and silva or sylva ("woods"). |
| Traverse County | Minnesota | Named for Lake Traverse |
| Travis County | Texas | Named in honor of William Barret Travis, commander of the Republic of Texas forces at the Battle of the Alamo. |
| Treasure County | Montana | From the state nickname of Montana, the "Treasure State", so called because of its gold and silver mines. |
| Trego County | Kansas | Named for Edgar Poe Trego of the 8th Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, killed at the 1863 Battle of Chickamauga. |
| Trempealeau County | Wisconsin | French fur traders were the first Europeans to enter this land. At the mouth of the Trempealeau River, which flows from northeast to southwest across the county on its way to the Mississippi River, they found a bluff surrounded by water and called it "La Montagne qui trempe à l'eau", which means "mountain with its foot in the water." The name was later shortened. |
| Treutlen County | Georgia | Named for John A. Treutlen, Georgia's first state governor following adoption of the state Constitution of 1777. |
| Trigg County | Kentucky | Named for Stephen Trigg, a frontier officer in the American Revolutionary War who died in the Battle of Blue Licks. |
| Trimble County | Kentucky | Named for Robert Trimble, attorney, judge, and justice of the United States Supreme Court. |
| Trinity County | California | Named after the Trinity River, which was named in 1845 by Major Pierson B. Reading, who was under the mistaken impression that the river emptied into Trinidad Bay. Trinity is the English translation of Trinidad. |
| Trinity County | Texas | Named after the Trinity River (Texas). |
| Tripp County | South Dakota | Named for Bartlett Tripp. |
| Troup County | Georgia | Named for George Troup, thirty-fourth governor of Georgia, U.S. representative, and senator. |
| Trousdale County | Tennessee | Named for William Trousdale, Creek and Mexican–American War soldier and officer, state senator and Governor of Tennessee. |
| Trumbull County | Ohio | Named for Jonathan Trumbull, Governor of Connecticut, who once owned the land in the region. |
| Tualatai County | American Samoa | Tuālā, v. to put a canoe before the wind; n. the back of a sail. The ‘tai’ suffix designates this county as being the Tuālā county on the side towards the sea, whereas Tuālā-uta is the Tuālā county on the side towards the land or inland. |
| Tucker County | West Virginia | Named after Henry St. George Tucker, Sr., a judge and Congressman from Williamsburg, Virginia. |
| Tulare County | California | Named for Tulare Lake. |
| Tulsa County | Oklahoma | Named for Tulsa, Oklahoma, which takes its name from the Creek Tallasi, "old town." |
| Tunica County | Mississippi | Named for the Tunica Native Americans. |
| Tuolumne County | California | The name Tuolumne is of Native American origin and has been given different meanings, such as Many Stone Houses, The Land of Mountain Lions and, Straight Up Steep, the latter an interpretation of William Fuller, a native Chief. Mariano Vallejo, in his report to the first California State Legislature, said that the word is "a corruption of the Miwok word talmalamne which signifies 'cluster of stone wigwams.'" The name may mean "people who dwell in stone houses", i.e., in caves. |
| Turner County | Georgia | Named for Henry G. Turner, U.S. representative and Georgia state Supreme Court justice. |
| Turner County | South Dakota | Named for John W. Turner. |
| Tuscaloosa County | Alabama | Named in honor of the pre-Choctaw chief Tuskaloosa. |
| Tuscarawas County | Ohio | The name is a Delaware word variously translated as "old town" or "open mouth". |
| Tuscola County | Michigan | Neologism created by Henry Schoolcraft. |
| Twiggs County | Georgia | Named for American Revolutionary War general John Twiggs. |
| Twin Falls County | Idaho | The county is named for a split waterfall on the Snake River of the same name. The Snake River is the county's northern boundary. |
| Tyler County | Texas | Named for John Tyler, the tenth President of the United States. |
| Tyler County | West Virginia | Named after John Tyler, Sr., father of President John Tyler. |
| Tyrrell County | North Carolina | Named for Sir John Tyrrell, one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina. |

## U

| County name | State | Origin |
| Uinta County | Wyoming | Named for the Uinta(h), a Native American tribe associated with the Ute people. |
| Uintah County | Utah | Named for the Uinta(h), a Native American tribe associated with the Ute people. |
| Ulster County | New York | Named for James, Duke of York (later King James II), who was also Earl of Ulster, a title derived from Ulster, the northern part of Ireland. |
| Umatilla County | Oregon | Named for the Umatilla River. |
| Unicoi County | Tennessee | Name is a Native American word for the southern Appalachian Mountains, probably meaning white or fog-draped. |
| Union County | Arkansas | Named in recognition of the 1829 citizens' petition for a new county, stating that they were petitioning "in the spirit of Union and Unity". |
| Union County | Florida | Named to honor the concept of unity. |
| Union County | Georgia | The Union Party, a political group that supported removing Native Americans from the area and opening it to white settlers, is the probable inspiration for the county's name. |
| Union County | Illinois | Named for a joint revival meeting of the Baptists and Dunkards, called a "union meeting". |
| Union County | Indiana | So named because it is the product of a union of parts of Fayette, Franklin and Wayne counties, as united into one county in 1821. |
| Union County | Iowa | Named in honour of the Union which the people wished to preserve at the time of founding (1853). |
| Union County | Kentucky | Named for the unanimous decision of the residents to unite together and create a new county. |
| Union County | Mississippi | This county was formed as a union of pieces of several other counties. |
| Union County | New Jersey | In reference to the Federal Union of the United States. |
| Union County | New Mexico | The county is named "Union" because the citizens, in 1893/94, were united in their desire for the creation of a new county out of three existing New Mexico counties. |
| Union County | North Carolina | Its name was a compromise between Whigs, who wanted to name the new county for Henry Clay, and Democrats, who wanted to name it for Andrew Jackson. |
| Union County | Ohio | The name is reflective of the county's origins, being the union of pieces of Franklin, Delaware, Madison, and Logan Counties. |
| Union County | Oregon | The name, which is taken from the city of Union within the county's borders, references the Union states, or Northern States, of the American Civil War. |
| Union County | Pennsylvania | The name is an allusion to the Federal Union. |
| Union County | South Carolina | Received its name from the old Union Church near Monarch Mill. |
| Union County | South Dakota | Originally named Cole County, the named was changed to Union because of Civil War sentiment. |
| Union County | Tennessee | Named either for its creation from parts of five counties or to memorialize East Tennessee's support for preservation of the Union in the years before the Civil War. |
| Union Parish | Louisiana | Reportedly took its name from a statement made by Daniel Webster: "liberty and union, now and forever, one and inseparable". |
| Upshur County | Texas | Named for Abel P. Upshur, who was U.S. Secretary of State during President John Tyler's administration. |
| Upshur County | West Virginia | Named for Abel P. Upshur, who was U.S. Secretary of State during President John Tyler's administration. |
| Upson County | Georgia | Named in honor of noted Georgia lawyer Stephen Upson. |
| Upton County | Texas | Named for brothers John C. and William F. Upton, both Colonels in the Confederate army. |
| Utah County | Utah | Named for the Spanish name (Yuta) for the Ute. |
| Uvalde County | Texas | Named for Juan de Ugalde, the Spanish governor of Coahuila. |

## V

| County name | State | Origin |
| Val Verde County | Texas | Named for the 1862 Civil War Battle of Val Verde (val verde meaning "green valley" in Spanish). |
| Valdez-Cordova Census Area | Alaska | The port of Valdez was named after the Spanish naval officer Antonio Valdés y Basán; Cordova after the city of Córdoba, Spain. Both namings were made by Spanish explorer Salvador Fidalgo in 1790. |
| Valencia County | New Mexico | Named for Valencia, New Mexico, named in turn for Valencia, Spain. |
| Valley County | Idaho | Named after the Long Valley of the North Fork of the Payette River. |
| Valley County | Montana | Named for the valley of the Milk River. |
| Valley County | Nebraska | Named after the geological features of the area. |
| Van Buren County | Arkansas | Named for U.S. President Martin Van Buren (1782–1862). |
| Van Buren County | Iowa | Named for U.S. President Martin Van Buren (1782–1862). |
| Van Buren County | Michigan | Named for U.S. President Martin Van Buren (1782–1862). |
| Van Buren County | Tennessee | Named for U.S. President Martin Van Buren (1782–1862). |
| Van Wert County | Ohio | Named for Isaac Van Wart, one of the captors of John André in the American Revolutionary War. |
| Van Zandt County | Texas | Named for Isaac Van Zandt, a member of the Congress of the Republic of Texas. |
| Vance County | North Carolina | Named for Zebulon Baird Vance, a Governor of North Carolina (1862–1865, 1877–1879) and United States senator (1879–1894). |
| Vanderburgh County | Indiana | Named for Henry Vanderburgh, a judge for Indiana Territory. |
| Venango County | Pennsylvania | The origin of the name "Venango" comes from the Native American name for the region, Onenge, meaning Otter. This was corrupted into English as the Venango River. |
| Ventura County | California | From Mission San Buenaventura, named for Saint Bonaventure. |
| Vermilion County | Illinois | Named for the Vermilion River (Wabash River tributary). |
| Vermilion Parish | Louisiana | Named for Vermilion River (Louisiana). |
| Vermillion County | Indiana | Vermillion is named for the Vermilion River (Wabash River tributary). |
| Vernon County | Missouri | Named for Col. Miles Vernon (1786–1867), a state senator and veteran of the Battle of New Orleans. |
| Vernon County | Wisconsin | Named for Mount Vernon. |
| Vernon Parish | Louisiana | Various theories for the naming exist (see History of Vernon Parish) |
| Victoria County | Texas | Named for Guadalupe Victoria, the first President of Mexico. |
| Vigo County | Indiana | Named for Francis Vigo, an Italian tradesman from St. Louis who assisted George Rogers Clark's campaigns during the American Revolutionary War. |
| Vilas County | Wisconsin | Named for William Freeman Vilas, United States Senator (1891–1897). |
| Vinton County | Ohio | Named for Samuel Finley Vinton, a 19th-century congressman from Ohio. |
| City of Virginia Beach | Virginia | State of Virginia and its beach. |
| Volusia County | Florida | Named for Volusia, Florida, possibly derived from a name meaning "land of the Yuchi." |

## W

| County name | State | Origin |
| Wabash County | Illinois | Named for the Wabash River, from the Miami-Illinois waapaahšiiki, "it shines white." |
| Wabash County | Indiana | Named for the Wabash River, from the Miami-Illinois waapaahšiiki, "it shines white." |
| Wabasha County | Minnesota | Named for the Mdewakanton Dakota mixed-blood (with Anishinaabe) chiefs Wapi-sha (wáȟpe šá - leaf red), father (1718–1806), son (1768–1855), and grandson (±1816-1876) of the same name. |
| Wabaunsee County | Kansas | Named for Waubonsie, a Potawatomi chief. |
| Wadena County | Minnesota | Named for the Wadena trading post, named for an Ojibwe chief. |
| Wagoner County | Oklahoma | Named for Henry "Bigfoot" Wagoner, a Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad dispatcher. |
| Wahkiakum County | Washington | Named for Chief Wahkiakum ("Tall Timber") of the Chinook. |
| Wake County | North Carolina | Named for Margaret Wake Tryon, wife of William Tryon, who served as the Colonial Governor of North Carolina and the Colonial Governor of New York. |
| Wakulla County | Florida | Named for the Wakulla River, named for a Muscogee chief. |
| Waldo County | Maine | Named for Samuel Waldo, merchant and political figure. |
| Walker County | Alabama | Named for John Williams Walker, U.S. Senator. |
| Walker County | Georgia | Named for Freeman Walker, politician. |
| Walker County | Texas | Robert J. Walker; "renamed" in honor of Samuel Hamilton Walker (no relation) |
| Walla Walla County | Washington | Named for the Walla Walla (Waluulapam) people. |
| Wallace County | Kansas | Named for W. H. L. Wallace, Union general in the Civil War. |
| Waller County | Texas | Named for Edwin Waller, entrepreneur and town planner. |
| Wallowa County | Oregon | Named for the Wallowa River, from Nez Perce wil-le-wah, "winding water" or "fishing weir." |
| Walsh County | North Dakota | Named for George H. Walsh, newspaper editor and politician. |
| Walthall County | Mississippi | Named for Edward C. Walthall, Confederate general. |
| Walton County | Florida | Named for Colonel George Walton, Jr., secretary of the Florida Territory. |
| Walton County | Georgia | Named for George Walton, signatory to the Declaration of Independence. |
| Walworth County | South Dakota | Named for Walworth County, Wisconsin. |
| Walworth County | Wisconsin | Named for Reuben H. Walworth, lawyer, jurist and politician. |
| Wapello County | Iowa | Named for Wapello, Meskwaki (Fox) chief. |
| Ward County | North Dakota | Named for Mark Ward, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Counties. |
| Ward County | Texas | Named for Thomas W. Ward, soldier and politician. |
| Ware County | Georgia | Named for Nicholas Ware, politician. |
| Warren County | Georgia | Named for Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War leader. |
| Warren County | Illinois | Named for Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War leader. |
| Warren County | Indiana | Named for Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War leader. |
| Warren County | Iowa | Named for Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War leader. |
| Warren County | Kentucky | Named for Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War leader. |
| Warren County | Mississippi | Named for Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War leader. |
| Warren County | Missouri | Named for Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War leader. |
| Warren County | New Jersey | Named for Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War leader. |
| Warren County | New York | Named for Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War leader. |
| Warren County | North Carolina | Named for Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War leader. |
| Warren County | Ohio | Named for Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War leader. |
| Warren County | Pennsylvania | Named for Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War leader. |
| Warren County | Tennessee | Named for Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War leader. |
| Warren County | Virginia | Named for Joseph Warren, Revolutionary War leader. |
| Warrick County | Indiana | Named for Jacob Warrick, a notable soldier of the Battle of Tippecanoe. |
| Wasatch County | Utah | From a Ute word for "mountain pass." |
| Wasco County | Oregon | Named for the Wasco people. |
| Waseca County | Minnesota | Named for Waseca, Minnesota, from a Dakota word meaning "rich." |
| Washakie County | Wyoming | Named for Washakie, a Shoshone chief. |
| Washburn County | Wisconsin | Named for Cadwallader C. Washburn, Governor of Wisconsin. |
| Washington County | Alabama | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Arkansas | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Colorado | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Florida | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Georgia | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Idaho | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Illinois | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Indiana | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Iowa | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Kansas | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Kentucky | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Maine | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Maryland | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Minnesota | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Mississippi | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Missouri | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Nebraska | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | New York | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | North Carolina | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Ohio | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Oklahoma | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Oregon | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Pennsylvania | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Rhode Island | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Tennessee | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Texas | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Utah | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Vermont | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Virginia | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington County | Wisconsin | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washington Parish | Louisiana | Named for George Washington, first President of the United States. |
| Washita County | Oklahoma | Named for the Washita River, which was mistook by explorers for the Ouachita River, named for the Ouachita people. |
| Washoe County | Nevada | Named for the Washoe people. |
| Washtenaw County | Michigan | From O-wash-ta-nong ("far away water"), the Ojibwe name for the Grand River. |
| Watauga County | North Carolina | Named for the Watauga River. |
| Watonwan County | Minnesota | Named for the Watonwan River, from Dakota watanwan meaning "fish bait" or "plenty of fish." |
| Waukesha County | Wisconsin | Named for the city of Waukesha, Wisconsin, from Waagoshag (Wau-tsha), the leader of a local tribe. |
| Waupaca County | Wisconsin | From wau-pa-ka-ho-nak, a Menominee word meaning "white sand bottom" or "brave young hero." |
| Waushara County | Wisconsin | From a Winnebago term meaning "good earth." |
| Wayne County | Georgia | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| Wayne County | Illinois | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| Wayne County | Iowa | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| Wayne County | Kentucky | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| Wayne County | Michigan | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| Wayne County | Mississippi | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| Wayne County | Missouri | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| Wayne County | Nebraska | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| Wayne County | New York | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| Wayne County | North Carolina | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| Wayne County | Ohio | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| Wayne County | Pennsylvania | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| Wayne County | Tennessee | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| Wayne County | Utah | Named for Wayne County, Tennessee. |
| Wayne County | West Virginia | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| City of Waynesboro | Virginia | Named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. |
| Weakley County | Tennessee | Named for U.S. Representative Robert Weakley. |
| Webb County | Texas | Named for James Webb, who served as Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of State, and Attorney General of the Republic of Texas |
| Weber County | Utah | Named for the Weber River, which was named for fur trapper John Henry Weber. |
| Webster County | Georgia | Named for Daniel Webster, politician. |
| Webster County | Iowa | Named for Daniel Webster, politician. |
| Webster County | Kentucky | Named for Daniel Webster, politician. |
| Webster County | Mississippi | Named for Daniel Webster, politician. |
| Webster County | Missouri | Named for Daniel Webster, politician. |
| Webster County | Nebraska | Named for Daniel Webster, politician. |
| Webster County | West Virginia | Named for Daniel Webster, politician. |
| Webster Parish | Louisiana | Named for Daniel Webster, politician. |
| Weld County | Colorado | Named for Lewis Ledyard Weld, designer of the Seal of Colorado who died while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. |
| Wells County | Indiana | Named for Captain William A. Wells, a scout for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. |
| Wells County | North Dakota | Named for Edward Payson Wells, banker and early promoter of the James River Valley. |
| West Baton Rouge Parish | Louisiana | Named for Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which is from French bâton rouge ("red stick"), a translation of Choctaw iti humma, referring to red poles used as boundary markers. |
| West Carroll Parish | Louisiana | Named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence. |
| West Feliciana Parish | Louisiana | Originally part of Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, from Spanish Feliciana ("happy land") and in honor of Marie Félicité St. Maxent, wife of Bernardo de Gálvez, 1st Viscount of Galveston. |
| Westchester County | New York | Named for Chester, England. |
| Westmoreland County | Pennsylvania | Named for Westmorland, England. |
| Westmoreland County | Virginia | Named for Westmorland, England. |
| Weston County | Wyoming | Named for Jefferson B. Weston, geologist and surveyor. |
| Wetzel County | West Virginia | Named for Lewis Wetzel, frontiersman. |
| Wexford County | Michigan | Named for County Wexford, Ireland. |
| Wharton County | Texas | Named for William H. Wharton and John Austin Wharton, brothers and Republic of Texas leaders. |
| Whatcom County | Washington | Named for Whatcom (Xwotʼqom), a Nooksack chief. |
| Wheatland County | Montana | Named for its wheat production. |
| Wheeler County | Georgia | Named for Joseph Wheeler, Confederate general and, after the Civil War, a U.S. Army general. |
| Wheeler County | Nebraska | Named for Daniel H. Wheeler, secretary of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture |
| Wheeler County | Oregon | Named for Henry H. Wheeler, early settler. |
| Wheeler County | Texas | Named for Royall T. Wheeler, judge. |
| White County | Arkansas | Named for Hugh Lawson White, a Whig candidate for President of the United States. |
| White County | Georgia | Named for David T. White, local politician. |
| White County | Illinois | Named for Leonard White, politician and soldier. |
| White County | Indiana | Named for Isaac White, a soldier who was killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe. |
| White County | Tennessee | Named for John White, Revolutionary War soldier and the first white settler in the county. |
| White Pine County | Nevada | Named for the Rocky Mountain white pine (limber pine, Pinus flexilis), a common tree in the county. |
| Whiteside County | Illinois | Named for Samuel Whiteside, pioneer. |
| Whitfield County | Georgia | Named for George Whitefield, Evangelical cleric. |
| Whitley County | Indiana | Named for Colonel William Whitley, who was killed in the War of 1812. |
| Whitley County | Kentucky | Named for William Whitley, pioneer. |
| Whitman County | Washington | Named for Marcus Whitman, physician and pioneer. |
| Wibaux County | Montana | Named for Pierre Wibaux, rancher. |
| Wichita County | Kansas | Named for the Wichita people. |
| Wichita County | Texas | Named for the Wichita people. |
| Wicomico County | Maryland | Named for the Wicomico River, from Lenape wicko-mekee, "place where houses are built." |
| Wilbarger County | Texas | Named for Josiah Pugh Wilbarger and Mathias Wilbarger, early settler. |
| Wilcox County | Alabama | Named for Joseph M. Wilcox, soldier. |
| Wilcox County | Georgia | Named for Mark Wilcox, Georgia state legislator and one of the founders of the Georgia Supreme Court. |
| Wilkes County | Georgia | Named for John Wilkes, British radical, journalist and politician. |
| Wilkes County | North Carolina | Named for John Wilkes, British radical, journalist and politician. |
| Wilkin County | Minnesota | Named for Alexander Wilkin, soldier. |
| Wilkinson County | Georgia | Named for James Wilkinson, soldier and statesman. |
| Wilkinson County | Mississippi | Named for James Wilkinson, soldier and statesman. |
| Will County | Illinois | Named for Dr. Conrad Will, businessman and politician. |
| Willacy County | Texas | Named for John G. Willacy, politician. |
| Williams County | North Dakota | Named for Erastus Appleman Williams, politician. |
| Williams County | Ohio | Named for David Williams, Revolutionary War soldier. |
| City of Williamsburg | Virginia | Named for King William III of England. |
| Williamsburg County | South Carolina | Named for King William III of England. |
| Williamson County | Illinois | Named for Williamson County, Tennessee, from which the first white settlers came. |
| Williamson County | Tennessee | Named for U.S. Representative Hugh Williamson. |
| Williamson County | Texas | Named for Robert McAlpin Williamson, Texas Ranger and judge. |
| Wilson County | Kansas | Named for Hiero Tennant Wilson, merchant. |
| Wilson County | North Carolina | Named for Louis Dicken Wilson, U.S. Army general. |
| Wilson County | Tennessee | Named for David Wilson, a member of the legislatures of North Carolina and the Southwest Territory. |
| Wilson County | Texas | Named for James Charles Wilson, early settler. |
| City of Winchester | Virginia | Named for Winchester, England, birthplace of Colonel James Wood, who laid out the community's original plan and served as the first court clerk |
| Windham County | Connecticut | Named for the town of Windham, Connecticut, which itself is named after the village of Windham (now Wineham), Sussex. |
| Windham County | Vermont | Named for Windham, Vermont, named in turn for Windham, Connecticut, which was named for Wineham (Wyndham), Sussex, England (from Old English Winda-hamm, "Winda's water meadow"). |
| Windsor County | Vermont | Named for Windsor, Vermont, named in turn for Windsor, Connecticut, which was named for Windsor, Berkshire, England (from Old English Windles-ore, "winch by the riverside"). |
| Winkler County | Texas | Named for Clinton McKamy Winkler, Confederate colonel. |
| Winn Parish | Louisiana | Named for Walter Winn, state legislator. |
| Winnebago County | Illinois | Named for the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) people. |
| Winnebago County | Iowa | Named for the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) people. |
| Winnebago County | Wisconsin | Named for the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) people. |
| Winneshiek County | Iowa | Named for Winneshiek, a Ho-Chunk chief. |
| Winona County | Minnesota | Named for Winona, legendary Dakota woman. |
| Winston County | Alabama | Named for John A. Winston, 15th Governor of Alabama. |
| Winston County | Mississippi | Named for Louis Winston, militia colonel and judge. |
| Wirt County | West Virginia | Named for William Wirt, U.S. Attorney General. |
| Wise County | Texas | Named for Henry A. Wise, Confederate general and later politician. |
| Wise County | Virginia | Named for Henry A. Wise, Confederate general and later politician. |
| Wolfe County | Kentucky | Named for Nathaneal Wolfe, a member of the legislative assembly. |
| Wood County | Ohio | Named for Eleazer D. Wood, soldier. |
| Wood County | Texas | Named for George Tyler Wood, second Governor of Texas. |
| Wood County | West Virginia | Named for James Wood, 11th Governor of Virginia. |
| Wood County | Wisconsin | Named for Joseph Wood, pioneer and politician. |
| Woodbury County | Iowa | Named for Levi Woodbury, judge and politician. |
| Woodford County | Illinois | Named for Woodford County, Kentucky, home of many of the first pioneers. |
| Woodford County | Kentucky | Named for William Woodford, Revolutionary War general. |
| Woodruff County | Arkansas | Named for William E. Woodruff, publisher and politician. |
| Woods County | Oklahoma | Named for Samuel Newitt Wood, attorney, politician, and Free State advocate. |
| Woodson County | Kansas | Named for Daniel Woodson, Acting Territorial Governor of Kansas. |
| Woodward County | Oklahoma | Named for either Brinton W. Woodward, a Santa Fe Railway director, or bison hunter, teamster, and eventually local saddle-maker Richard "Uncle Dick" Woodward. |
| Worcester County | Maryland | Named for Mary Arundell, the wife of Sir John Somerset, a son of Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester. |
| Worcester County | Massachusetts | Named for Worcester, England. |
| Worth County | Georgia | Named for Major General William J. Worth. |
| Worth County | Iowa | Named for Major General William J. Worth. |
| Worth County | Missouri | Named for Major General William J. Worth. |
| Wright County | Iowa | Named for Silas Wright, attorney and politician. |
| Wright County | Minnesota | Named for Silas Wright, attorney and politician. |
| Wright County | Missouri | Named for Silas Wright, attorney and politician. |
| Wyandot County | Ohio | Named for the Wyandot (Huron) people. |
| Wyandotte County | Kansas | Named for the Wyandot (Huron) people. |
| Wyoming County | New York | From a Lenape word meaning "broad bottom lands". |
| Wyoming County | Pennsylvania | Named for the Wyoming Valley. |
| Wyoming County | West Virginia | From a Lenape word meaning "broad bottom lands". |
| Wythe County | Virginia | Named for George Wythe, judge. |

## Y

| County name | State | Origin |
| Yadkin County | North Carolina | Named for the Yadkin River which is derived from Yattken, or Yattkin, a Siouan. The meaning of the word is unknown but it may mean "big tree" or "place of big trees" in a Siouan language. |
| Yakima County | Washington | Named after the Yakama people. |
| Yakutat City and Borough | Alaska | From the Tlingit name Yaakwdáat, meaning "the place where canoes rest", although it may originally derive from an Eyak name which has been lost. |
| Yalobusha County | Mississippi | Yalobusha is a Native American word meaning "tadpole place". |
| Yamhill County | Oregon | Origin of name uncertain, but probably from an explorer's name for a local Native American tribe, the Yamhill, who are part of the North Kalapuyan family. |
| Yancey County | North Carolina | Named in honor of Bartlett Yancey, U.S. Congressman (1813–1817) and speaker of the N.C. Senate (1817–1827). |
| Yankton County | South Dakota | Named for the Yankton tribe of Nakota (Sioux). |
| Yates County | New York | Yates County is named in honor of Joseph C. Yates, seventh governor of New York (1823–1824). |
| Yavapai County | Arizona | Named after the Yavapai people, who were the main inhabitants of the area at the time of annexation by the United States. |
| Yazoo County | Mississippi | Named for the Yazoo River. |
| Yell County | Arkansas | Named after Archibald Yell, the state's first member of the United States House of Representatives and the second governor of Arkansas; he later fell in combat at the Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican–American War. |
| Yellow Medicine County | Minnesota | From the Yellow Medicine River, which takes its name from a calque of pajutazee, the Dakota name for the bitter root of the moonseed plant (Menispermum canadense). |
| Yellowstone County | Montana | Named for the Yellowstone River which roughly bisects the county from southwest to northeast. |
| Yoakum County | Texas | Named for Henderson King Yoakum, a Texas historian. |
| Yolo County | California | Yolo is a Native American name variously believed to be a corruption of a tribal name Yo-loy meaning "a place abounding in rushes" or of the name of the chief Yodo or of the village of Yodoi. |
| York County | Maine | In 1664, what had been the province of Maine was given a grant by Charles II of England to James, Duke of York. Under the terms of this patent the territory was incorporated into Cornwall County, part of the Province of New York. The patent to James for this territory was renewed in 1674 and survives in York County. |
| York County | Nebraska | Either named after the city of York in England or for York County in Pennsylvania. |
| York County | Pennsylvania | Named either for the Duke of York, an early patron of the Penn family, or for the city and shire of York in England. |
| York County | South Carolina | Named for Yorkshire, England. |
| York County | Virginia | Named for the city of York in Northern England. |
| Young County | Texas | The county is named for William Cocke Young, an early Texas settler and soldier. |
| Yuba County | California | Named after the Yuba River for the Native American village Yubu, Yupu or Juba near the confluence of the Yuba and Feather rivers, or for the quantities of wild grapes (uvas silvestres in Spanish) growing on its banks. |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | Alaska | The Yukon River and one of its major tributaries, the Koyukuk River, whose respective drainages comprise the vast majority of the census area's land mass. |
| Yuma County | Arizona | Named for the Quechan (Yuma) indigenous people. |
| Yuma County | Colorado | Yuma County is named for the town of Yuma, Colorado, which itself was supposedly named for a Quechan railroad worker (or a man named "Yuma") who died near the town while building a line for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. |

## Z

| County name | State | Origin |
| Zapata County | Texas | Named after Colonel Jose Antonio de Zapata, a rancher who rebelled against Mexico in 1839. |
| Zavala County | Texas | Named after Lorenzo de Zavala, Mexican politician and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. |
| Ziebach County | South Dakota | Named after local leader Frank M. Ziebach. |