List of Counties in Nebraska

The following is a list of the 93 counties in the U.S. state of Nebraska.
Nebraska's postal abbreviation is NE and its FIPS state code is 31.
When many counties were formed, the bills establishing them did not state the honouree's full name; thus the namesakes of several counties, including Brown, Deuel, Dixon, and possibly Harlan, are known only by their surnames.
== County List ==
County 	County Seat 	Established	Origin 	Etymology
Adams County 	Hastings 	1867 	Unorganized territory 	John Adams, Founding Father and the second President of the United States
Antelope County 	Neligh 	1871 	Unorganized territory 	Pronghorn, often called antelope
Arthur County 	Arthur 	1887 	Unorganized territory 	Chester A. Arthur, twenty-first president of the United States
Banner County 	Harrisburg 	1888 	Formed from Cheyenne County 	Named for the hope of the early settlers to make the county the "banner county" of the state
Blaine County 	Brewster 	1885 	Unorganized territory 	James G. Blaine (1843-1923), Representative, Speaker of the House, Senator from Maine, Secretary of State, and Republican candidate in the 1884 presidential election
Boone County 	Albion 	1871 	Unorganized territory 	Daniel Boone, American pioneer and trapper
Box Butte County 	Alliance 	1887 	Formed from Dawes County 	Named for a large box-shaped butte located approximately six miles north of Alliance, Nebraska, the county seat
Boyd County 	Butte 	1891 	Holt County and unorganized territory (Indian Territory) 	James E. Boyd, the eighth governor of Nebraska
Brown County 	Ainsworth 	1883 	Unorganized territory 	The Brown family of early settlers
Buffalo County 	Kearney 	1855 	Unorganized territory 	Named for the American Bison which once roamed the present county
Burt County 	Tekamah 	1854 	One of nine original counties 	Francis Burt, the first territorial governor of Nebraska who died after two days in office
Butler County 	David City 	1856 	Formed from Greene County 	William Orlando Butler, U.S. Congressman from Kentucky and Mexican–American War hero
Cass County 	Plattsmouth 	1854 	One of nine original counties 	Lewis Cass, the territorial administrator and U.S. Senator from Michigan
Cedar County 	Hartington 	1857 	Formed from Dixon and Pierce Counties 	Named for the eastern red cedars present in the county
Chase County 	Imperial 	1873 	Unorganized territory 	Champion S. Chase, a mayor of Omaha, Nebraska who served as Nebraska's first attorney general
Cherry County 	Valentine 	1883 	Unorganized territory 	Samuel A. Cherry, army lieutenant killed in the Indian Wars
Cheyenne County 	Sidney 	1867 	Unorganized territory 	Named for the Cheyenne Native American tribe
Clay County 	Clay Center 	1855 	Unorganized territory 	Henry Clay, the Senator from Kentucky, U.S. Secretary of State, and presidential candidate
Colfax County 	Schuyler 	1869 	Formed from Platte County 	Schuyler Colfax, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and Vice President of the United States
Cuming County 	West Point 	1855 	Formed from Burt County 	Thomas B. Cuming, first Secretary of Nebraska Territory
Custer County 	Broken Bow 	1877 	Unorganized territory 	George Armstrong Custer, general in the Civil War and Indian Wars
Dakota County 	Dakota City 	1855 	Formed from Burt County 	Named for the Dakota branch of the Sioux Native American tribe
Dawes County 	Chadron 	1885 	Formed from Sioux County 	James W. Dawes, the sixth governor of Nebraska
Dawson County 	Lexington 	1860 	Unorganized territory 	Jacob Dawson, the first postmaster in present-day Lincoln, Nebraska, the state capital
Deuel County 	Chappell 	1888 	Formed from Cheyenne County 	The Deuel family of early settlers
Dixon County 	Ponca 	1856 	Formed from Blackbird County, Izard County, and unorganized territory 	The Dixon family of early settlers
Dodge County 	Fremont 	1854 	One of nine original counties 	Augustus Caesar Dodge, a United States senator from Iowa who was a supporter of the Kansas–Nebraska Act
Douglas County 	Omaha 	1854 	One of nine original counties 	Stephen Arnold Douglas, the American statesman, U. S. senator, and presidential candidate
Dundy County 	Benkelman 	1873 	Unorganized territory 	Elmer Scipio Dundy, a U.S. Circuit Court judge from Nebraska
Fillmore County 	Geneva 	1856 	Formed from Jackson County and unorganized territory 	Millard Fillmore, the thirteenth president of the United States
Franklin County 	Franklin 	1867 	Formed from Kearney County 	Benjamin Franklin, the Founding Father, printer, scientist, and diplomat
Frontier County 	Stockville 	1872 	Unorganized territory 	Named for the fact that it was located in what was referred to at that time as part of the Nebraska frontier
Furnas County 	Beaver City 	1873 	Unorganized territory 	Robert Wilkinson Furnas, the third governor of Nebraska
Gage County 	Beatrice 	1855 	Unorganized territory 	William D. Gage, a Methodist minister who served as chaplain of the state legislature at the time the county was established
Garden County 	Oshkosh 	1910 	Formed from Deuel County 	Named for the hopes of two real estate agents and citizens of the county seat, Oshkosh, Nebraska, that the county would be the "garden spot of the west"
Garfield County 	Burwell 	1884 	Formed from Wheeler County 	James Abram Garfield, the twentieth president of the United States
Gosper County 	Elwood 	1873 	Unorganized territory 	John J. Gosper, the secretary of state for Nebraska at the time of the county's formation
Grant County 	Hyannis 	1887 	Unorganized territory 	Ulysses Simpson Grant, the eighteenth president of the United States and American Civil War general
Greeley County 	Greeley 	1871 	Unorganized territory 	Horace Greeley, the pioneering American journalist
Hall County 	Grand Island 	1858 	Unorganized territory 	Augustus Hall, the chief justice of the Territorial Supreme Court at the time the county was created
Hamilton County 	Aurora 	1867 	Unorganized territory 	Alexander Hamilton, the first United States Secretary of the Treasury
Harlan County 	Alma 	1871 	Formed from Kearney County 	Disputed; either James Harlan, Secretary of the Interior 1865-1866; or a revenue collector named Harlan who lived near Republican City
Hayes County 	Hayes Center 	1877 	Unorganized territory 	Rutherford Birchard Hayes, the nineteenth president of the United States
Hitchcock County 	Trenton 	1873 	Unorganized territory 	Phineas Warren Hitchcock, a U.S. Senator from Nebraska
Holt County 	O'Neill 	1860 	Unorganized territory 	Joseph Holt, a U.S. Postmaster General and U.S. Secretary of War under James Buchanan
Hooker County 	Mullen 	1889 	Unorganized territory 	Joseph Hooker, an American Civil War general
Howard County 	Saint Paul 	1871 	Formed from Hall County 	Oliver Otis Howard, an American Civil War general
Jefferson County 	Fairbury 	1856 	Unorganized territory 	Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States
Johnson County 	Tecumseh 	1857 	Formed from Nemaha and Otoe Counties 	Richard Mentor Johnson, the ninth vice president of the United States
Kearney County 	Minden 	1860 	Unorganized territory 	Named for Fort Kearny - when the county was created the fort's name was misspelled
Keith County 	Ogallala 	1873 	Unorganized territory 	M. C. Keith, who owned one of the largest ranches in western Nebraska at the time
Keya Paha County 	Springview 	1884 	Formed from Brown County and unorganized Indian territory 	Dakota words Ké-ya Pa-há Wa-kpá, which, translated, mean turtle hill river
Kimball County 	Kimball 	1888 	Formed from Cheyenne County 	Thomas L. Kimball, an official of the Union Pacific Railroad
Knox County 	Center 	1857 	Formed from Pierce County and unorganized territory (Former names-L'Eau Qui Court (1857-1867) and Emmet (1867-1873))	Henry Knox, the first United States Secretary of War
Lancaster County 	Lincoln 	1855 	Formed from Cass and Pierce Counties 	The cities of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Lancaster, England
Lincoln County 	North Platte 	1860 	Unorganized territory 	Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States
Logan County 	Stapleton 	1885 	Unorganized territory 	John Alexander Logan, a general in the American Civil War
Loup County 	Taylor 	1883 	Unorganized territory 	Loup River which in turn is named for the French word loup which means wolf
Madison County 	Madison 	1856 	Formed from Loup County, and McNeale County, and unorganized territory 	Either James Madison, the fourth president of the United States; or, more likely, Madison, Wisconsin, where most of the new county's settlers were from
McPherson County 	Tryon 	1887 	Unorganized territory 	James Birdseye McPherson, a general in the American Civil War
Merrick County 	Central City 	1858 	Formed from Polk County and unorganized territory 	Elvira Merrick, wife of Henry W. DePuy, a territorial legislator
Morrill County 	Bridgeport 	1908 	Formed from Cheyenne County 	Charles Henry Morrill, a president of the Lincoln Land Company
Nance County 	Fullerton 	1879 	Formed from a Pawnee Indian reservation 	Albinus Nance, the fourth governor of Nebraska
Nemaha County 	Auburn 	1854 	One of nine original counties 	Nimaha, the Oto name meaning miry water for a stream which crossed the county and emptied into the Missouri River
Nuckolls County 	Nelson 	1860 	Unorganized territory 	Lafayette Nuckolls, a member of the first Nebraska territorial legislature; and his brother, Stephen Nuckolls, a pioneering Nebraska settler, businessman and banker
Otoe County 	Nebraska City	1854 	One of nine original counties 	Oto (also Otoe) Native American tribe
Pawnee County 	Pawnee City 	1855 	Formed from Richardson County 	Pawnee Native American tribe
Perkins County 	Grant 	1887 	Formed from Keith County 	Charles E. Perkins, a president of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Phelps County 	Holdrege 	1873 	Formed from Kearney County 	William Phelps, an early settler in that part of Nebraska
Pierce County 	Pierce 	1856 	Formed from Izard County, McNeale County, and unorganized territory 	Franklin Pierce, the fourteenth president of the United States
Platte County 	Columbus 	1856 	Formed from Greene and Loup Counties 	Platte River which is in turn named for the French word for flat
Polk County 	Osceola 	1856 	Formed from York County and unorganized territory 	James Knox Polk, the eleventh president of the United States
Red Willow County 	McCook 	1873 	Unorganized territory 	Red Willow Creek, which runs through the area
Richardson County 	Falls City 	1854 	One of nine original counties 	William A. Richardson, a governor of the Nebraska Territory
Rock County 	Bassett 	1885 	Formed from Brown County 	Either Rock Creek, which flows in the county; or the rocky condition of the soil in the area
Saline County 	Wilber 	1867 	Unorganized territory 	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
Sarpy County 	Papillion 	1857 	Formed from Cass and Douglas Counties 	Peter A. Sarpy, a commander of a trading post in the future county
Saunders County 	Wahoo 	1856 	Formed from Douglas and Lancaster Counties 	Alvin Saunders, a governor of the Nebraska Territory
Scotts Bluff County	Gering 	1888 	Formed from Cheyenne County 	Named for a towering bluff located in the Scotts Bluff National Monument; the bluffs themselves are named for Hiram Scott, a fur trapper who is alleged to have crawled 75 miles with a broken leg before collapsing and dying at the foot of the formation
Seward County 	Seward 	1855 	Formed from Cass and Pierce Counties 	William Henry Seward, the United States Secretary of State during the 1860s
Sheridan County 	Rushville 	1885 	Formed from Sioux County 	Philip Henry Sheridan, a general in the American Civil War
Sherman County 	Loup City 	1871 	Formed from Buffalo County and unorganized territory 	William Tecumseh Sherman, the American Civil War general
Sioux County 	Harrison 	1877 	Unorganized territory 	Sioux Native American tribe
Stanton County 	Stanton 	1855 	Formed from Burt County 	Edwin M. Stanton, the United States Secretary of War during most of the American Civil War
Thayer County 	Hebron 	1871 	Formed from Jefferson County 	John Milton Thayer, the seventh governor of Nebraska
Thomas County 	Thedford 	1887 	Unorganized territory 	George Henry Thomas, a general in the American Civil War
Thurston County 	Pender 	1889 	Formed form Blackbird County and an Omaha Indian reservation 	John Mellen Thurston, a U. S. senator from Nebraska
Valley County 	Ord 	1871 	Unorganized territory 	Named for the many valleys in the area
Washington County 	Blair 	1854 	One of nine original counties 	George Washington, the first president of the United States
Wayne County 	Wayne 	1867 	Unorganized territory 	Anthony Wayne, the American Revolutionary War general nicknamed "Mad Anthony" by his troops
Webster County 	Red Cloud 	1867 	Unorganized territory 	Daniel Webster, the statesman and U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
Wheeler County 	Bartlett 	1877 	Unorganized territory 	Daniel H. Wheeler, a secretary of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture
York County 	York 	1855 	Formed from Cass County, Pierce County, and unorganized territory 	Named for either York, England, or York County, Pennsylvania
Former counties of Nebraska:
* Clay (1855-1864) Formed from unorganized territory and dissolved into Gage and Lancaster County
* Jackson (1855-1856) Formed from unorganized territory and dissolved to Fillmore County and unorganized territory
* Johnson (1855-1856) Formed from unorganized territory and dissolved to unorganized territory
* Blackbird (1855-1888) Formed from Burt County and dissolved to Thurston County
* Loup (1855-1856) Formed from Burt and Un-Organized and then dissolved Madison, Monroe and Platte Counties
* Jones (1856-1866) Formed from unorganized territory and dissolved into Jefferson County
* Grant, Harrison, Jackson, Lynn, Monroe and Taylor counties listed in 1870
* West (1860-1862) Formed from unorganized territory and dissolved into Holt County
== In the Timeline ==
=== Prime Timeline ===
==== The Oregon Trail (1971) ====
In The Oregon Trail a family of pioneers attempts to brave the Oregon Trail in order to start a new life in the Willamette Valley. In their travels, they travelled through unorganised territory that make up several counties of Nebraska.
== Notes ==
* This page was originally taken from Wikipedia. Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Nebraska