List of counties in California
List
Table:
County

FIPS code[5]

County seat[6]

Established[6]

Formed from

Etymology[7]
General Law or Charter
[8]

Population[9]

Area[6]

Map

Alameda County

001

Oakland
1853
Contra Costa and Santa Clara
The oak and other trees, once abundant in the region; alameda is Spanish for "avenue shaded by trees" or "cottonwood grove".
Charter

1,663,190

738 sq mi
(1,911 km2)

Alpine County

003

Markleeville
1864
Amador, El Dorado, Calaveras, Mono and Tuolumne
Location high in the Sierra Nevada; alpine refers to the Alps or other mountains.
General Law

1,120

739 sq mi
(1,914 km2)

Amador County

005

Jackson
1854
Calaveras
Jose Maria Amador (1794–1883), a soldier, rancher, and miner who, along with several Native Americans, established a successful gold mining camp near present-day Amador City in 1848.
General Law

38,626

606 sq mi
(1,570 km2)

Butte County

007

Oroville
1850
original
Sutter Buttes, which were mistakenly thought to be in the county at the time of its establishment.
Charter

229,294

1,640 sq mi
(4,248 km2)

Calaveras County

009

San Andreas
1850
original
Calaveras River; calaveras is Spanish for "skulls".
General Law

45,670

1,020 sq mi
(2,642 km2)

Colusa County

011

Colusa
1850
original
Rancho Colus land grant from Mexico.
General Law

21,805

1,151 sq mi
(2,981 km2)

Contra Costa County

013

Martinez
1850
original
Location across San Francisco Bay from San Francisco; contra costa is Spanish for "opposite coast".
General Law

1,147,439

720 sq mi
(1,865 km2)

Del Norte County

015

Crescent City
1857
Klamath
Location along California's northern border; del norte is Spanish for "northern".
General Law

27,470

1,008 sq mi
(2,611 km2)

El Dorado County

017

Placerville
1850
original
El Dorado, a mythical city of gold, owing to the area's significance in the California Gold Rush.
Charter

188,987

1,712 sq mi
(4,434 km2)

Fresno County

019

Fresno
1856
Mariposa, Merced and Tulare
The city of Fresno; fresno is Spanish for "ash tree".
Charter

989,255

5,963 sq mi
(15,444 km2)

Glenn County

021

Willows
1891
Colusa
Dr. Hugh J. Glenn, a California businessman and politician.
General Law

28,094

1,315 sq mi
(3,406 km2)

Humboldt County

023

Eureka
1853
Trinity
Alexander von Humboldt, a German naturalist and explorer.
General Law

136,754

3,573 sq mi
(9,254 km2)

Imperial County

025

El Centro
1907
San Diego
Imperial Valley, named after the Imperial Land Company.
General Law

182,830

4,175 sq mi
(10,813 km2)

Inyo County

027

Independence
1866
Mono and Tulare
Exact etymology disputed; early settlers believed Inyo to be the native name for area mountains, but it may be the name of a Mono Indian leader.
General Law

18,026

10,192 sq mi
(26,397 km2)

Kern County

029

Bakersfield
1866
Los Angeles and Tulare
Edward Kern, cartographer for John C. Fremont's 1845 expedition.
General Law

893,119

8,142 sq mi
(21,088 km2)

Kings County

031

Hanford
1893
Tulare
Kings River; original Spanish name Rio de los Santos Reyes ("River of the Holy Kings").
General Law

150,101

1,390 sq mi
(3,600 km2)

Lake County

033

Lakeport
1861
Napa
Clear Lake.
General Law

64,246

1,258 sq mi
(3,258 km2)

Lassen County

035

Susanville
1864
Plumas and Shasta, and now defunct Lake County, Nevada
Peter Lassen, a Danish naturalist and explorer.
General Law

31,163

4,558 sq mi
(11,805 km2)

Los Angeles County

037

Los Angeles
1850
original
The city of Los Angeles, derived from the original Spanish name El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula ("The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of the River of Porziuncola").
Charter

10,163,507

4,060 sq mi
(10,515 km2)

Madera County

039

Madera
1893
Mariposa
The city of Madera, which was named for the forested landscape; madera is Spanish for "wood".
General Law

156,890

2,138 sq mi
(5,537 km2)

Marin County

041

San Rafael
1850
original
Exact etymology disputed; probably a corrupted abbreviation of Bahía de Nuestra Señora del Rosario la Marina, the Spanish name for area headlands along San Francisco Bay.
General Law

260,955

520 sq mi
(1,347 km2)

Mariposa County

043

Mariposa
1850
original
The city of Mariposa; mariposa is Spanish for "butterfly".
General Law

17,569

1,451 sq mi
(3,758 km2)

Mendocino County

045

Ukiah
1850
original
Antonio de Mendoza, first viceroy of New Spain.
General Law

88,018

3,509 sq mi
(9,088 km2)

Merced County

047

Merced
1855
Mariposa
The city of Merced, derived from the original Spanish name El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced ("River of Our Lady of Mercy").
General Law

272,673

1,929 sq mi
(4,996 km2)

Modoc County

049

Alturas
1874
Siskiyou
The Modoc people.
General Law

8,859

3,944 sq mi
(10,215 km2)

Mono County

051

Bridgeport
1861
Calaveras, Fresno and Mariposa
Mono Lake; derived from Monachi, a Yokut name for native peoples of the Sierra Nevada.
General Law

14,168

3,044 sq mi
(7,884 km2)

Monterey County

053

Salinas
1850
original
Derived from Monterey Bay, which was named for a Viceroy of New Spain, Gaspar de Zúñiga, 5th Count of Monterrey.
General Law

437,907

3,322 sq mi
(8,604 km2)

Napa County

055

Napa
1850
original
Disputed origin; possibly derived from the Patwin word napo, meaning "home".
General Law

140,973

754 sq mi
(1,953 km2)

Nevada County

057

Nevada City
1851
Yuba
The phrase Sierra Nevada; nevada is Spanish for "snow-covered," referencing the area's high elevation. The neighboring state was named after the county, which was named after Nevada City.
General Law

99,814

958 sq mi
(2,481 km2)

Orange County

059

Santa Ana
1889
Los Angeles
Oranges, which were widely cultivated in the area at the time the county was established.
Charter

3,190,400

948 sq mi
(2,455 km2)

Placer County

061

Auburn
1851
Sacramento
California Gold Rush, a reference to the area being a center of the California Gold Rush.
Charter

386,166

1,407 sq mi
(3,644 km2)

Plumas County

063

Quincy
1854
Butte
The Feather River; plumas is Spanish for "feathers".
General Law

18,742

2,554 sq mi
(6,615 km2)

Riverside County

065

Riverside
1893
San Bernardino and San Diego
The city of Riverside, named for its location on the Santa Ana River.
General Law

2,423,266

7,208 sq mi
(18,669 km2)

Sacramento County

067

Sacramento
1850
original
The city of Sacramento, named after the Santisimo Sacramento (Spanish for "Most Holy Sacrament").
Charter

1,530,615

966 sq mi
(2,502 km2)

San Benito County

069

Hollister
1874
Monterey
Saint Benedict (Benito is a Spanish diminutive of Benedict).
General Law

60,310

1,389 sq mi
(3,597 km2)

San Bernardino County

071

San Bernardino
1853
Los Angeles
The city of San Bernardino, named after Saint Bernardino of Siena (Spanish for Saint Bernardine).
Charter

2,157,404

20,062 sq mi
(51,960 km2)

San Diego County

073

San Diego
1850
original
The city of San Diego, from Mission San Diego (Spanish for Saint Didacus).
Charter

3,337,685

4,204 sq mi
(10,888 km2)

San Francisco

075

San Francisco
1850
original
The city of San Francisco, from Presidio of San Francisco and Mission San Francisco de Asís, named after Saint Francis of Assisi (Spanish for Saint Francis).
Charter

884,363

47 sq mi
(122 km2)

San Joaquin County

077

Stockton
1850
original
Spanish for Saint Joachim, father of the Virgin Mary.
General Law

745,424

1,399 sq mi
(3,623 km2)

San Luis Obispo County

079

San Luis Obispo
1850
original
The city of San Luis Obispo, from Mission San Luis Obispo, named after Saint Louis of Toulouse (Spanish for Saint Louis, the Bishop).
General Law

283,405

3,304 sq mi
(8,557 km2)

San Mateo County

081

Redwood City
1856
San Francisco and Santa Cruz
Spanish for Saint Matthew.
Charter

771,410

449 sq mi
(1,163 km2)

Santa Barbara County

083

Santa Barbara
1850
original
The city of Santa Barbara, from Mission Santa Barbara, (Spanish for Saint Barbara).
General Law

448,150

2,738 sq mi
(7,091 km2)

Santa Clara County

085

San Jose
1850
original
City of Santa Clara, from Mission Santa Clara de Asís, named for Saint Clare of Assisi (Spanish for Saint Clare).
Charter

1,938,153

1,291 sq mi
(3,344 km2)

Santa Cruz County

087

Santa Cruz
1850
original
The city of Santa Cruz, from Mission Santa Cruz (Spanish for "holy cross").
General Law

275,897

446 sq mi
(1,155 km2)

Shasta County

089

Redding
1850
original
Mount Shasta; the indigenous Shasta people.
General Law

179,921

3,786 sq mi
(9,806 km2)

Sierra County

091

Downieville
1852
Yuba
Sierra is Spanish for "mountain range", a reference to the area's topography.
General Law

2,999

953 sq mi
(2,468 km2)

Siskiyou County

093

Yreka
1852
Shasta and Klamath
Siskiyou Mountains; exact etymology of Siskiyou is disputed.
General Law

43,853

6,287 sq mi
(16,283 km2)

Solano County

095

Fairfield
1850
original
Chief Solano of the Suisunes.
General Law

445,458

828 sq mi
(2,145 km2)

Sonoma County

097

Santa Rosa
1850
original
Exact etymology disputed; probably a Pomo term meaning "valley of the moon," which references a native legend about spiritual activity in the area.
General Law

504,217

1,576 sq mi
(4,082 km2)

Stanislaus County

099

Modesto
1854
Tuolumne
Stanislaus River, named after Estanislao, a native of the area when California was under Spanish and Mexican rule.
General Law

547,899

1,495 sq mi
(3,872 km2)

Sutter County

101

Yuba City
1850
original
John Sutter, a Swiss pioneer of California associated with the California Gold Rush.
General Law

96,648

603 sq mi
(1,562 km2)

Tehama County

103

Red Bluff
1856
Butte, Colusa and Shasta
The city of Tehama, probably a native term describing its location.
Charter

63,926

2,951 sq mi
(7,643 km2)

Trinity County

105

Weaverville
1850
original
The city of Trinidad, Spanish for "trinity".
General Law

12,709

3,179 sq mi
(8,234 km2)

Tulare County

107

Visalia
1852
Mariposa
Tulare Lake, which is named after the tule rush (Schoenoplectus acutus) that grew in the marshes and sloughs along its shores.
General Law

464,493

4,824 sq mi
(12,494 km2)

Tuolumne County

109

Sonora
1850
original
Exact etymology disputed; probably a corruption of the native term talmalamne, which means "cluster of stone wigwams," a reference to local cave dwelling tribes.
General Law

54,248

2,236 sq mi
(5,791 km2)

Ventura County

111

Ventura
1872
Santa Barbara
The city of Ventura, derived from Mission San Buenaventura (Spanish for St. Bonaventure).
General Law

854,223

1,846 sq mi
(4,781 km2)

Yolo County

113

Woodland
1850
original
The Yolan people, a local Native American tribe.
General Law

219,116

1,012 sq mi
(2,621 km2)

Yuba County

115

Marysville
1850
original
Named either by the Maidu people, a local Native American tribe who live on the banks of the Feather and Yuba Rivers, for one of their villages, or by Gabriel Moraga for the wild grapes (Vitis californica) that grow abundantly at the edge of the rivers (uva is Spanish for "grape").
General Law

77,031

630 sq mi
(1,632 km2)

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