List of U.S. county name etymologies (A–D)

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

A

County name	State	Name origin
Abbeville County	South Carolina	The French town of Abbeville
Acadia Parish	Louisiana	The French colonial region of Acadia
Accomack County	Virginia	From accawmacke, a Native American word meaning across the water place, describing the Eastern Shore of Virginia and the Accawmack people who lived there.
Ada County	Idaho	Ada Riggs, the first pioneer child born in the area and the daughter of H.C. Riggs, a cofounder of Boise
Adair County	Iowa	John Adair, a general in the War of 1812 and the eighth governor of Kentucky
Adair County	Kentucky
Adair County	Missouri
Adair County	Oklahoma	The Adair family of the Cherokee tribe
Adams County	Colorado	Alva Adams, the fifth governor of Colorado
Adams County	Idaho	John Adams, the second president of the United States
Adams County	Iowa
Adams County	Mississippi
Adams County	Nebraska
Adams County	Ohio
Adams County	Pennsylvania
Adams County	Washington
Adams County	Illinois	John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States
Adams County	Indiana
Adams County	Wisconsin
Adams County	North Dakota	John Quincy Adams, a railroad agent who was instrumental in having the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway be built through North Dakota
Addison County	Vermont	Joseph Addison, the English writer and politician
Aiken County	South Carolina	William Aiken, the first president of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company
Aitkin County	Minnesota	William Alexander Aitken, a fur trader in the region
Alachua County	Florida	Native American word meaning "sinkhole" in either the Muskogee or Timucua languages
Alamance County	North Carolina	The Battle of Alamance, which occurred on Big Alamance Creek, which was named for a local Native American word for the blue mud found in the creek
Alameda County	California	Spanish for cottonwood grove
Alamosa County	Colorado	Spanish word meaning of cottonwood
Albany County	New York	King James II, who was Duke of Albany before his accession
Albany County	Wyoming	The city of Albany, New York
Albemarle County	Virginia	Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle, a British nobleman
Alcona County	Michigan	A word invented by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft meaning the excellent plain with al from Arabic for the, co the root of a word for plain or prairie , and na for excellent
Alcorn County	Mississippi	James Lusk Alcorn, the twenty-eighth governor of Mississippi
Aleutians East Borough	Alaska	Eastern part of the Aleutian Islands (possibly from Chukchi aliat, "island")
Aleutians West Census Area	Alaska	Western part of the Aleutian Islands (possibly from Chukchi aliat, "island")
Alexander County	Illinois	William M. Alexander, a pioneer in the county
Alexander County	North Carolina	The Alexander family, of whom several members were leaders in colonial North Carolina
Alexandria	Virginia	John Alexander, the original owner of the land that the town is located on, and his family
Alfalfa County	Oklahoma	William Henry David "Alfalfa Bill" Murray, the ninth governor of Oklahoma
Alger County	Michigan	Russell Alexander Alger, the twentieth governor of Michigan
Allamakee County	Iowa	Either Allan Makee, a trapper and trader, or an uncertain Native American origin
Allegan County	Michigan	Probably a word invented by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft meaning the lake with al from Arabic for the and egan from sa-gi-e-gan, the Chippewa word for lake . Other meanings often given are fine river or fair river.
Allegany County	Maryland	From oolikhanna, a Lenape word meaning "beautiful stream". The word is the origin of the name of the Allegheny River.
Allegany County	New York
Alleghany County	North Carolina
Alleghany County	Virginia	The Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny County	Pennsylvania	From oolikhanna, a Lenape Native American word meaning beautiful stream. The word is the origin of the name of the Allegheny River.
Allen County	Indiana	John Allen, a lawyer, legislator, and lieutenant colonel killed in the Battle of River Raisin in the War of 1812
Allen County	Kentucky
Allen County	Ohio
Allen County	Kansas	William Allen, a United States senator from Ohio
Allen Parish	Louisiana	Henry Watkins Allen, the nineteenth governor of Louisiana
Allendale County	South Carolina	The Allens family of the area, of which one member, Paul H. Allens, was the county seat's first postmaster
Alpena County	Michigan	A word invented by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft meaning the bird with al from Arabic for the and either pinai for partridge or penaissee for bird
Alpine County	California	Its location high in the Sierra Nevada mountains
Amador County	California	Jose Maria Amador, a soldier, rancher and miner, who in 1848 established a successful gold mining camp near the present town of Amador City, California. In Spanish, the word amador means one who loves.
Amelia County	Virginia	Princess Amelia of Great Britain, a daughter of George II
Amherst County	Virginia	Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, a colonial governor of Virginia and general in the French and Indian War
Amite County	Mississippi	The Amite River, which is located in the county
Anchorage	Alaska	Named for the fact that Cook Inlet, which Anchorage is located on, once was a popular anchorage for ships
Anderson County	Kansas	Joseph C. Anderson, a Kansas territorial legislator
Anderson County	Kentucky	Richard Clough Anderson, Jr., a Kentucky legislator and congressman who was the first ambassador from the United States to Colombia
Anderson County	South Carolina	Robert Anderson, a soldier in the American Revolutionary War
Anderson County	Tennessee	Joseph Anderson, a U.S. senator from Tennessee
Anderson County	Texas	Kenneth Lewis Anderson, the last vice president of the Republic of Texas
Andrew County	Missouri	Andrew Jackson Davis, an important citizen in St. Louis and Savannah, Missouri
Andrew County	Texas	Richard Andrews, the first Texan soldier to die in the Texas Revolution
Androscoggin County	Maine	The Androscoggin Native American tribe
Angelina County	Texas	A Hainai Native American woman who assisted early Spanish missionaries and was named Angelina by them
Anne Arundel County	Maryland	Anne Arundell, the wife of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore and daughter of Thomas Arundell, 1st Baron Arundell of Wardour
Anoka County	Minnesota	A Dakota word meaning on both sides
Anson County	North Carolina	George Anson, 1st Baron Anson, a British admiral assigned to defend North Carolina's shipping from pirates
Antelope County	Nebraska	The pronghorn antelope in the area
Antrim County	Michigan	County Antrim in Ireland
Apache County	Arizona	The Apache Native American tribe
Appanoose County	Iowa	Appanoose, a chief of the Sac and Fox Native American tribes who headed the peace party during the Black Hawk War
Appling County	Georgia	Daniel Appling, a soldier in the War of 1812
Appomattox County	Virginia	The Appomattox River, in turn named for the Appamatucks Native American tribe
Aransas County	Texas	The Rio Nuestra Senora de Aranzazu, a Spanish outpost in early Texas
Arapahoe County	Colorado	The Arapaho Native American tribe
Archer County	Texas	Branch Tanner Archer, a commissioner for the Republic of Texas
Archuleta County	Colorado	Antonio D. Archuleta, a Colorado state senator and his father, José Manuel Archuleta
Arenac County	Michigan	A word invented by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft meaning sandy earth with arena from Latin for sandy and ac from a Native American language for earth
Arkansas County	Arkansas	The Arkansa Native American tribe
Arlington County	Virginia	The Arlington estate associated with the Washington, Custis, and Lee families. The estate, in turn, was named for the original Arlington estate in Northampton County, Virginia, established sometime before 1680, which was, in turn again, named for Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington.
Armstrong County	Pennsylvania	John Armstrong, a general in the American Revolutionary War and delegate to the Continental Congress from Pennsylvania
Armstrong County	Texas	Any one of several Texas pioneer families
Aroostook County	Maine	A Miꞌkmaq word meaning beautiful river
Arthur County	Nebraska	Chester A. Arthur, the twenty-first president of the United States
Ascension Parish	Louisiana	A colonial ecclesiastical district in the area
Ashe County	North Carolina	Samuel Ashe, the ninth governor of North Carolina
Ashland County	Ohio	Ashland, the farm and mansion of Henry Clay at Lexington, Kentucky
Ashland County	Wisconsin
Ashley County	Arkansas	Chester Ashley, a U.S. Senator from Arkansas
Ashtabula County	Ohio	Either the Ashtabula River, or an Algonquian Native American word meaning variously fish, fish river, river of many fish, there are always enough moving, or half-way place
Asotin County	Washington	The Nez Percé Native American name for Eel Creek
Assumption Parish	Louisiana	A colonial ecclesiastical district in the area
Atascosa County	Texas	The Spanish word for boggy
Atchison County	Kansas	David Rice Atchison, a U.S. senator from Missouri
Atchison County	Missouri
Athens County	Ohio	Athens, Greece, as the county was the location of the state university
Atkinson County	Georgia	William Yates Atkinson, the fifty-eighth governor of Georgia
Atlantic County	New Jersey	The Atlantic Ocean, on the shores of which the county is located
Atoka County	Oklahoma	Its county seat of Atoka, named in turn for Atoka, a Choctaw leader
Attala County	Mississippi	Attala, a fictional Native American heroine
Audrain County	Missouri	James H. Audrain, a Missouri state legislator
Audubon County	Iowa	John James Audubon, the famous naturalist and painter
Auglaize County	Ohio	The Auglaize River, from French rivière à la Grande Glaize ("river of Great Clay")
Augusta County	Virginia	Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, the wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales and mother of King George III
Aurora County	South Dakota	Aurora, the Ancient Roman goddess of the dawn.
Austin County	Texas	Stephen Fuller Austin, the person who facilitated the Anglo American colonization of Texas and is known as the Father of Texas
Autauga County	Alabama	The Atauga village of Atagi ("pure water"), which was located at the confluence of Autauga Creek and the Alabama River
Avery County	North Carolina	Waightstill Avery, a Revolutionary War colonel and attorney general of the state of North Carolina
Avoyelles Parish	Louisiana	The Avoyel Native American tribe

B

County name	State	Name origin
Baca County	Colorado	The prominent Baca family of Trinidad, Colorado, a member of which had settled early in the area
Bacon County	Georgia	Augustus Octavius Bacon, a U.S. senator from Georgia
Bailey County	Texas	Peter James Bailey, a defender of the Alamo
Baker County	Florida	James McNair Baker, a Confederate senator
Baker County	Georgia	Colonel John Baker, a hero of the American Revolutionary War
Baker County	Oregon	Edward Dickinson Baker, a U.S. Representative from Illinois, senator from Oregon, and close friend of Abraham Lincoln
Baldwin County	Alabama	Abraham Baldwin, a signer of the United States Constitution and U.S. congressman from Georgia
Baldwin County	Georgia
Ballard County	Kentucky	Bland W. Ballard, a long time frontier spy and scout for George Rogers Clark and as a brevet major of the Kentucky Militia led the initial attack at the battle of River Raisin in the War of 1812. He suffered from a wound from the battle until his death in 1854.
City of Baltimore	Maryland	Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, the founder of the Colony of Maryland.
Baltimore County	Maryland	The City of Baltimore, which was detached from Baltimore County in 1851
Bamberg County	South Carolina	Either Francis Marion Bamberg, a soldier in the American Civil War; or William Seaborn Bamberg, a local resident along with other members of his family
Bandera County	Texas	Bandera Pass, named in turn for the Spanish word for flag
Banks County	Georgia	Richard Banks, a prominent physician
Banner County	Nebraska	The hope of the early settlers to make the county the "banner county" of the state
Bannock County	Idaho	The Bannock Native American tribe
Baraga County	Michigan	Frederic Baraga, a missionary who worked with local Native Americans
Barber County	Kansas	Thomas W. Barber, a free-stater killed in Douglas County during the "troubles" near Lawrence which came to be known as Bloody Kansas
Barbour County	Alabama	James Barbour, the nineteenth governor of Virginia
Barbour County	West Virginia	Philip P. Barbour, a Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia
Barnes County	North Dakota	Alanson Hamilton Barnes, a justice of the Dakota territorial supreme court
Barnstable County	Massachusetts	For its county seat of Barnstable, Massachusetts, which was named for the town of Barnstaple in Devon, England
Barnwell County	South Carolina	A Barnwell family
Barren County	Kentucky	Large treeless expanses found by early explorers caused by Native Americans burning tracts of forest
Barron County	Wisconsin	Henry D. Barron, a Wisconsin state legislator and judge
Barrow County	Georgia	David Crenshaw Barrow, an official of the University of Georgia
Barry County	Michigan	William Taylor Barry, a United States Postmaster General
Barry County	Missouri
Bartholomew County	Indiana	Joseph Bartholomew, a hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe and U.S. senator. He was an Indiana state senator at the time of Bartholomew County's formation.
Barton County	Kansas	Clara Barton, the organizing founder of the American Red Cross
Barton County	Missouri	David Barton, a U.S. senator from Missouri
Bartow County	Georgia	Francis S. Bartow, a Civil War general killed at the First Battle of Bull Run
Bastrop County	Texas	Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop, an early Dutch settler in Texas
Bates County	Missouri	Frederick Bates, the second governor of Missouri
Bath County	Kentucky	Springs in the area thought to have medicinal value
Bath County	Virginia	Either for the many warm springs within its borders or the city of Bath in England
Baxter County	Arkansas	Elisha Baxter, the thirteenth governor of Arkansas
Bay County	Florida	St. Andrews Bay, which the county is located on
Bay County	Michigan	Saginaw Bay, which the county is located on
Bayfield County	Wisconsin	Henry Bayfield, a British naval officer who performed the first survey of the Great Lakes region
Baylor County	Texas	Henry Weidner Baylor, a surgeon in the Texas Rangers during the Mexican–American War
Beadle County	South Dakota	William Henry Harrison Beadle, a leading figure and surveyor-general of the Dakota Territory
Bear Lake County	Idaho	Bear Lake, which lies partly within the county and partly within Utah
Beaufort County	North Carolina	Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort, a Lord Proprietor of Carolina
Beaufort County	South Carolina
Beauregard Parish	Louisiana	Pierre Gustave Toutant de Beauregard, the Civil War Confederate general
Beaver County	Oklahoma	Its county seat of Beaver, Oklahoma and the Beaver River, which flows through the county
Beaver County	Pennsylvania	The Beaver River of Pennsylvania
Beaver County	Utah	The area's many beavers
Beaverhead County	Montana	A rock in the Jefferson River shaped like a beaver's head
Becker County	Minnesota	George Loomis Becker, a Minnesota state legislator and mayor of St. Paul
Beckham County	Oklahoma	John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham, the thirty-fifth governor of Kentucky
City of Bedford	Virginia	John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, a Secretary of State for the Southern Department of Great Britain
Bedford County	Virginia
Bedford County	Pennsylvania	Fort Bedford, which was in turn named for the aforementioned 4th Duke of Bedford
Bedford County	Tennessee	Thomas Bedford, a soldier in the Revolutionary War
Bee County	Texas	Barnard Elliott Bee, Sr., a secretary of state of the Republic of Texas
Belknap County	New Hampshire	Jeremy Belknap, an early New Hampshire historian
Bell County	Kentucky	Joshua Fry Bell, a lawyer and Kentucky state legislator
Bell County	Texas	Peter Hansborough Bell, the third governor of Texas
Belmont County	Ohio	The French word for beautiful mountain or fine mountain, describing the scenery in the area
Beltrami County	Minnesota	Giacomo Costantino Beltrami, an Italian who explored the northern reaches of the Mississippi River
Ben Hill County	Georgia	Benjamin Harvey Hill, a Georgia state, Confederate, and U.S. congressman
Benewah County	Idaho	Benewah, a Coeur d'Alene leader
Bennett County	South Dakota	Either Granville G. Bennett, a prominent South Dakota politician; or John E. Bennett, a judge of the South Dakota Supreme Court
Bennington County	Vermont	The city of Bennington, Vermont, named in turn for Benning Wentworth, governor of the New Hampshire Grants in modern-day Vermont
Benson County	North Dakota	Bertil W. Benson, a North Dakota state senator
Bent County	Colorado	Bent's Fort which was located on the north bank of the Arkansas River, near present-day La Junta, and the Bent brothers who founded the fort
Benton County	Arkansas	Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S. senator from Missouri who pushed for westward expansion of the United States
Benton County	Indiana
Benton County	Iowa
Benton County	Minnesota
Benton County	Missouri
Benton County	Oregon
Benton County	Washington
Benton County	Mississippi	Confederate Brigadier General Samuel Benton from Holly Springs, Mississippi. Local lore has it that when the county was formed in 1870, locals suggested the name Benton to the Reconstruction legislature as being Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S. senator from Missouri who pushed for westward expansion of the United States, but the county was actually named for the Confederate general.
Benton County	Tennessee	Either David Benton, a soldier in the colonial Tennessee Militia; or Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S. senator from Missouri who pushed for westward expansion of the United States.
Benzie County	Michigan	An Anglicization of the French name, Riviere Aux-Bec-Scies ("river of sawbill bucks"), for the Betsie River
Bergen County	New Jersey	From the original New Netherland settlement of Bergen, which means hills
Berkeley County	South Carolina	John Berkeley and William Berkeley, two Lords Proprietor of Carolina
Berkeley County	West Virginia	Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt, a colonial governor of Virginia
Berks County	Pennsylvania	The English county of Berkshire
Berkshire County	Massachusetts
Bernalillo County	New Mexico	Either the nearby settlement of Bernalillo, New Mexico or the Gonzales-Bernal family
Berrien County	Georgia	John MacPherson Berrien, the tenth United States Attorney General
Berrien County	Michigan
Bertie County	North Carolina	Either James Bertie or Henry Bertie, two Lords Proprietor of Carolina
Bethel Census Area	Alaska	The town of Bethel, Alaska which is located in the census area, named in turn for the Biblical Bethel ("House of God")
Bexar County	Texas	Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, the capital of Mexican Texas; Béjar is present-day San Antonio
Bibb County	Alabama	William Wyatt Bibb, the first governor of Alabama who was a native of Georgia
Bibb County	Georgia
Bienville Parish	Louisiana	Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville, a French colonial governor of Louisiana
Big Horn County	Montana	The bighorn sheep in the area
Big Horn County	Wyoming
Big Stone County	Minnesota	Big Stone Lake
Billings County	North Dakota	Frederick H. Billings, the president of the Northern Pacific Railroad when the county was formed
Bingham County	Idaho	Henry Harrison Bingham, a U.S. congressman from Pennsylvania
Black Hawk County	Iowa	Black Hawk, the Sac and Fox Native American chief who led a revolt against resettlement of his tribe in the Black Hawk War
Blackford County	Indiana	Isaac Newton Blackford, a speaker of the first Indiana General Assembly and judge on the Indiana Supreme Court
Bladen County	North Carolina	Martin Bladen, a British politician and Commissioner of Trade and Plantations
Blaine County	Idaho	James G. Blaine, the American statesman, secretary of state, U.S. senator, and presidential candidate
Blaine County	Montana
Blaine County	Nebraska
Blaine County	Oklahoma
Blair County	Pennsylvania	John Blair Jr., a signer of the United States Constitution and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from Pennsylvania
Blanco County	Texas	The Blanco River, from the Spanish word for "white"
Bland County	Virginia	Richard Bland, a colonial delegate to the Continental Congress from Virginia
Bleckley County	Georgia	Logan Edwin Bleckley, a soldier and judge on the South Carolina Supreme Court
Bledsoe County	Tennessee	Anthony Bledsoe, a soldier in the Revolutionary War and an early settler in the area
Blount County	Alabama	William Blount, the only governor of the Southwest Territory (modern-day Tennessee)
Blount County	Tennessee
Blue Earth County	Minnesota	The Blue Earth River, named in turn for blue-green earth found near its mouth and used by Dakota Native Americans as a pigment
Boise County	Idaho	The Boise River, from the French boisé, "wooded"
Bolivar County	Mississippi	Simón Bolívar, the great South American revolutionary and general
Bollinger County	Missouri	George Frederick Bollinger, a pioneer and Missouri state legislator
Bon Homme County	South Dakota	An unknown man whose grave was found on an island in the Missouri River located in the county. A wooden cross marked the grave simply "Bon Homme," the French words for "good man."
Bond County	Illinois	Shadrach Bond, the first governor of Illinois
Bonner County	Idaho	Edwin L. Bonner, a pioneer ferry operator in the area
Bonneville County	Idaho	Established in 1911 and named after Benjamin Bonneville (1796–1878), a French-born officer in the U.S. Army, fur trapper, and explorer in the American West. [1]
Boone County	Arkansas	Daniel Boone, the famous frontiersman
Boone County	Illinois
Boone County	Indiana
Boone County	Kentucky
Boone County	Missouri
Boone County	Nebraska
Boone County	West Virginia
Boone County	Iowa	Daniel Boone, the famous frontiersman, and his son, Nathan Boone, a colonel in the U. S. Dragoons
Borden County	Texas	Gail Borden, Jr., a businessman, publisher, and surveyor in Texas who invented condensed milk
Bosque County	Texas	The Bosque River
Bossier Parish	Louisiana	Presumably for Pierre Bossier, a U.S. representative from Louisiana
Botetourt County	Virginia	Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt, a colonial governor of Virginia
Bottineau County	North Dakota	Pierre Bottineau, a Métis guide and frontiersman in the area
Boulder County	Colorado	The abundance of boulders in the area
Boundary County	Idaho	The fact that it borders Washington on the west, Montana on the east, and Canada (British Columbia) on the north
Bourbon County	Kansas	Bourbon County, Kentucky
Bourbon County	Kentucky	The French House of Bourbon
Bowie County	Texas	James Bowie, the legendary knife fighter who died at the Battle of the Alamo
Bowman County	North Dakota	Edward M. Bowman, a Dakota Territory territorial legislator
Box Butte County	Nebraska	A large box-shaped butte located in the county
Box Elder County	Utah	The area's many box elder trees
Boyd County	Kentucky	Linn Boyd, a U. S. congressman and Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives from Kentucky
Boyd County	Nebraska	James E. Boyd, the eighth governor of Nebraska
Boyle County	Kentucky	John Boyle, a U. S. congressman and district judge from Kentucky
Bracken County	Kentucky	Bracken Creek and Little Bracken Creek, two streams located in the county
Bradford County	Florida	Richard Bradford, a soldier in the Civil War who was killed in the Battle of Santa Rosa Island
Bradford County	Pennsylvania	William Bradford, the second United States Attorney General
Bradley County	Arkansas	Hugh Bradley, a soldier in the War of 1812
Bradley County	Tennessee	Edward Bradley, a Tennessee militia officer in the War of 1812
Branch County	Michigan	John Branch, the eighth United States Secretary of the Navy
Brantley County	Georgia	Benjamin D. Brantley, a member of a prominent local family; or William Goodman Brantley, a Georgia state senator
Braxton County	West Virginia	Carter Braxton, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence from Virginia
Brazoria County	Texas	The Brazos River
Brazos County	Texas
Breathitt County	Kentucky	John Breathitt, the eleventh governor of Kentucky
Breckinridge County	Kentucky	John Breckinridge, the fifth United States Attorney General and a U. S. senator from Kentucky
Bremer County	Iowa	Fredricka Bremer, a Swedish novelist
Brevard County	Florida	Theodore Washington Brevard, a Florida State Controller in the 1850s; it was originally named St. Lucia County [2]
Brewster County	Texas	Henry Percy Brewster, a secretary of war for the Republic of Texas and soldier in the American Civil War
Briscoe County	Texas	Andrew Briscoe, a soldier during the Texas Revolution
City of Bristol	Virginia	The city of Bristol, England
Bristol County	Massachusetts
Bristol County	Rhode Island
Bristol Bay Borough	Alaska	Bristol Bay, which is located in the borough and was named for Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol by Captain James Cook
Broadwater County	Montana	Charles A. Broadwater, a pioneer in the area and soldier in the United States Army
Bronx County	New York	Jonas Bronck, an early settler in the region
Brooke County	West Virginia	Robert Brooke, the tenth governor of Virginia
Brookings County	South Dakota	Wilmot W. Brookings, a pioneer who was one of the first settlers in the Dakota Territory
Brooks County	Georgia	Preston Smith Brooks, a U. S. congressman from South Carolina who famously attacked Charles Sumner, a fellow senator, with a cane
Brooks County	Texas	John Abijah Brooks, a Texas Ranger and Texas state legislator
Broome County	New York	John Broome, a lieutenant governor of New York
City and County of Broomfield	Colorado	The quantity of broom corn grown in the area. The city was incorporated in 1961, and obtained county status in 2001.
Broward County	Florida	Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, the nineteenth governor of Florida
Brown County	Illinois	Jacob Jennings Brown, a general in the War of 1812
Brown County	Indiana
Brown County	Ohio
Brown County	Wisconsin
Brown County	Kansas	Albert Gallatin Brown, the fourteenth governor of Mississippi and a U.S. senator from Mississippi
Brown County	Minnesota	Joseph Renshaw Brown, a prominent pioneer, newspaperman, and Minnesota territorial legislator
Brown County	Nebraska	Any two of five members of the Nebraska state legislature named Brown at the time of the county's formation
Brown County	South Dakota	Alfred Brown, a Dakota territorial legislator
Brown County	Texas	Henry Stevenson Brown, a commander at the Battle of Velasco prior to the Texas Revolution
Brule County	South Dakota	Probably the Brulé, a branch of the Sioux Native American tribe
Brunswick County	North Carolina	King George I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Brunswick County	Virginia	The region of Brunswick in present-day Germany
Bryan County	Georgia	Jonathan Bryan, a Georgia colonial legislator in the 17th century
Bryan County	Oklahoma	William Jennings Bryan, the lawyer, forty-first United States Secretary of State, and thrice-time presidential candidate
Buchanan County	Iowa	James Buchanan, the fifteenth president of the United States
Buchanan County	Missouri
Buchanan County	Virginia
Buckingham County	Virginia	Either the English county of Buckinghamshire; or an unknown Duke of Buckingham (extinct at the time of the county's formation)
Bucks County	Pennsylvania	The English county of Buckinghamshire
City of Buena Vista	Virginia	The Buena Vista Company, which raised the money for the city's founding
Buena Vista County	Iowa	The Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican–American War
Buffalo County	Nebraska	The American Bison which once roamed the present county
Buffalo County	South Dakota	Probably the American Bison
Buffalo County	Wisconsin	The Buffalo River
Bullitt County	Kentucky	Alexander Scott Bullitt, a co-author of the Kentucky state constitution and the first lieutenant governor of Kentucky
Bulloch County	Georgia	Archibald Bulloch, the second governor of Georgia
Bullock County	Alabama	Edward C. Bullock, a soldier in the Confederate States Army
Buncombe County	North Carolina	Edward Buncombe, a soldier in the Revolutionary War
Bureau County	Illinois	Pierre de Bureo, a French trader with Native American in the area
Burke County	Georgia	Edmund Burke, a member of the British Parliament who advised the repeal of the Stamp Act in the 1760s and reconciliation with the American colonies
Burke County	North Carolina	Thomas Burke, the third governor of North Carolina
Burke County	North Dakota	John Burke, the tenth governor of North Dakota
Burleigh County	North Dakota	Walter Atwood Burleigh, a U.S. representative from the Dakota Territory
Burleson County	Texas	Edward Burleson, a general and statesman of the Texas Revolution
Burlington County	New Jersey	A corruption of the name of Bridlington, England
Burnet County	Texas	David Gouverneur Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas
Burnett County	Wisconsin	Thomas P. Burnett, a Wisconsin state legislator
Burt County	Nebraska	Francis Burt, the first governor of the Nebraska Territory
Butler County	Alabama	William Butler, a soldier who fought in the Creek War
Butler County	Iowa	William Orlando Butler, a Kentucky statesman, U.S. representative, vice presidential candidate, and general in the Mexican–American War
Butler County	Missouri
Butler County	Kansas	Andrew Pickens Butler, a U.S. senator from South Carolina
Butler County	Kentucky	Richard Butler, a general who was killed at the Battle of the Wabash
Butler County	Ohio
Butler County	Pennsylvania
Butler County	Nebraska	Either David Butler, the first governor of Nebraska; or William Orlando Butler, a Kentucky statesman, U.S. representative, vice presidential candidate, and general in the Mexican–American War who also declined an appointment to become the first governor of the Nebraska Territory
Butte County	California	Either the Marysville Buttes or Sutter Buttes
Butte County	Idaho	The buttes scattered throughout the county
Butte County	South Dakota	One or more unknown buttes.
Butts County	Georgia	Sam Butts, a soldier killed in the War of 1812

C

County name	State	Name origin
Cabarrus County	North Carolina	Stephen Cabarrus, a North Carolina state legislator
Cabell County	West Virginia	William H. Cabell, the fourteenth governor of Virginia
Cache County	Utah	The caches of furs collected in the area by Rocky Mountain Fur Company trappers
Caddo County	Oklahoma	The Caddo Native American tribe
Caddo Parish	Louisiana
Calaveras County	California	Calaveras, the Spanish word for skulls , reportedly for the bones of fighters left behind after a Native American war that were discovered by Captain Gabriel Moraga
Calcasieu Parish	Louisiana	Supposedly for Calcasieu, an Atakapas Native American leader, whose name is said to mean crying eagle
Caldwell County	Kentucky	John Caldwell, a U. S. senator and the second lieutenant governor of Kentucky
Caldwell County	Missouri	Either for John Caldwell, a Native American scout; John Caldwell, a U.S. senator and the second lieutenant governor of Kentucky; or Mathew Caldwell, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and soldier during the Texas Revolution
Caldwell County	North Carolina	Joseph Caldwell, the first president of the University of North Carolina, who advocated public school and railroad systems in North Carolina
Caldwell County	Texas	Probably for Mathew Caldwell, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and soldier during the Texas Revolution
Caldwell Parish	Louisiana	The locally prominent Caldwell family
Caledonia County	Vermont	The Latin name for Scotland
Calhoun County	Alabama	John C. Calhoun, the U.S. statesman, seventh vice president of the United States, Secretary of State, and U.S. senator from South Carolina
Calhoun County	Arkansas
Calhoun County	Florida
Calhoun County	Georgia
Calhoun County	Illinois
Calhoun County	Iowa
Calhoun County	Michigan
Calhoun County	Mississippi
Calhoun County	South Carolina
Calhoun County	Texas
Calhoun County	West Virginia
Callahan County	Texas	James Hughes Callahan, a soldier during the Texas Revolution
Callaway County	Missouri	James Callaway, a "Missouri ranger" killed by Native Americans during the War of 1812
Calloway County	Kentucky	Richard Calloway, an early pioneer in Kentucky
Calumet County	Wisconsin	Calumet, the French word for a Menominee peace pipe
Calvert County	Maryland	The Calvert family, whose male members bore the title of Baron Baltimore and included the founders of the colony of Maryland
Camas County	Idaho	The local camassia plant
Cambria County	Pennsylvania	The county's original status as Cambria Township of Somerset County, Pennsylvania; Cambria is an ancient name for Wales
Camden County	Georgia	Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, a member of the British Parliament who opposed the Stamp Act in the 1760s
Camden County	Missouri
Camden County	New Jersey
Camden County	North Carolina
Cameron County	Pennsylvania	Simon Cameron, the twenty-sixth Secretary of War of the United States in the first year of the American Civil War and a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania
Cameron Parish	Louisiana
Cameron County	Texas	Ewen Cameron, a soldier during the Texas Revolution
Camp County	Texas	John Lafayette Camp, a Texas state politician
Campbell County	Kentucky	John Campbell, a soldier in the American Revolutionary War, founder of Louisville, and Kentucky state senator
Campbell County	South Dakota	Newton B. Campbell, territorial legislator
Campbell County	Tennessee	Arthur Campbell, a Virginia House of Burgesses representative
Campbell County	Virginia	William Campbell, a Continental Army general of the Revolutionary War
Campbell County	Wyoming	John Allen Campbell (1835–1880), first governor of the Wyoming Territory (1869–1875); or for John Archibald Campbell, a governor of the Wyoming Territory and associate justice of the United States Supreme Court; or Robert Campbell, an explorer of the area
Canadian County	Oklahoma	The Canadian River, which flows through the county
Candler County	Georgia	Allen Daniel Candler, the fifty-sixth governor of Georgia
Cannon County	Tennessee	Newton Cannon, the tenth governor of Tennessee
Canyon County	Idaho	Either the Boise River or Snake River canyon
Cape Girardeau County	Missouri	Supposedly for Sieur Jean Baptiste de Girardot, an early French colonial officer in the area
Cape May County	New Jersey	Cape May, a peninsula named for Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, the Dutch sea captain who discovered it
Carbon County	Montana	Coal deposits in the region
Carbon County	Pennsylvania
Carbon County	Utah
Carbon County	Wyoming
Caribou County	Idaho	The Caribou Mountains
Carlisle County	Kentucky	John Griffin Carlisle, a Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from Kentucky
Carlton County	Minnesota	Reuben B. Carlton, a pioneer in the area
Caroline County	Maryland	Lady Caroline Eden, the daughter of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, sister of Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, and wife of Robert Eden, the last colonial governor of Maryland
Caroline County	Virginia	Caroline of Ansbach, the consort of King George II of Great Britain
Carroll County	Arkansas	Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving and only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence
Carroll County	Georgia
Carroll County	Illinois
Carroll County	Indiana
Carroll County	Iowa
Carroll County	Kentucky
Carroll County	Maryland
Carroll County	Mississippi
Carroll County	Missouri
Carroll County	New Hampshire
Carroll County	Ohio
Carroll County	Virginia
Carroll County	Tennessee	William Carroll, the sixth governor of Tennessee
Carson City	Nevada	Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson, the famous frontier scout and soldier
Carson County	Texas	Samuel Price Carson, the first secretary of state of the Republic of Texas
Carter County	Kentucky	William Grayson Carter, a Kentucky state senator
Carter County	Missouri	Zimri A. Carter, a pioneer in the area
Carter County	Montana	Thomas Henry Carter, a U.S. senator from Montana
Carter County	Oklahoma	Ben W. Carter, a captain in the United States Army and a Cherokee who married and settled among the Chickasaws, whose son was a state senator for over forty years following statehood
Carter County	Tennessee	Landon Carter, a speaker of the senate of the State of Franklin
Carteret County	North Carolina	John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville (1690–1763), who inherited one-eighth share in the Province of Carolina through his great-grandfather George Carteret
Carver County	Minnesota	Jonathan Carver, an early explorer in the area
Cascade County	Montana	The Great Falls of the Missouri River, which were located in the county
Casey County	Kentucky	William Casey, an early pioneer in western Kentucky
Cass County	Illinois	Lewis Cass, Governor of Michigan and U.S. cabinet member
Cass County	Indiana
Cass County	Iowa
Cass County	Michigan
Cass County	Minnesota
Cass County	Missouri
Cass County	Nebraska
Cass County	Texas
Cass County	North Dakota	George Washington Cass, president of the Northern Pacific Railroad
Cassia County	Idaho	Either for Cassia Creek or Mormon Battalion member James John Cazier
Castro County	Texas	Henri Castro, consul general to France for the Republic of Texas and founder of a colony in Texas
Caswell County	North Carolina	Richard Caswell (1729–1789), member of the first Continental Congress and first governor of North Carolina after the Declaration of Independence
Catahoula Parish	Louisiana	Catahoula Lake, formerly within the parish's boundaries (now within La Salle Parish) and named from a Tensas word meaning "big, clear lake"
Catawba County	North Carolina	The Native American Catawba Nation
Catoosa County	Georgia	Derived from the Cherokee "Gatusi," signifying a prominent hill or point on a mountain. [3]
Catron County	New Mexico	Thomas B. Catron, advocate for statehood and first U.S. senator from New Mexico
Cattaraugus County	New York	A Seneca word meaning "bad smelling banks", referring to the odor of natural gas which leaked from local rock formations
Cavalier County	North Dakota	Charles Cavalier of Pembina, one of the area's earliest European-American settlers
Cayuga County	New York	The Cayuga nation of Native Americans
Cecil County	Maryland	Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (1605–1675), founder of the Maryland colony
Cedar County	Iowa	The Cedar River, which runs through the county
Cedar County	Missouri	The abundance of juniper trees (known as Eastern Red Cedar) in the county
Cedar County	Nebraska
Centre County	Pennsylvania	Its geographical location in relation to the rest of the counties in the state
Cerro Gordo County	Iowa	The Battle of Cerro Gordo in the Mexican–American War
Chaffee County	Colorado	Jerome B. Chaffee, a pioneer and one of Colorado's first two U.S. senators
Chambers County	Alabama	Henry H. Chambers (1790–1826), U.S. senator
Chambers County	Texas	Thomas Jefferson Chambers, an early lawyer in Texas
Champaign County	Illinois	Named by John W. Vance of Vermilion County, Illinois in 1833, after Champaign County, Ohio, where Vance was originally from
Champaign County	Ohio	French for "a plain", describing the land in the area
Chariton County	Missouri	The Chariton River, whose naming origin is disputed
Charles City County	Virginia	King Charles I of England
Charles County	Maryland	Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
Charles Mix County	South Dakota	Charles Eli Mix, commissioner of Indian Affairs
Charleston County	South Carolina	King Charles II of England
Charlevoix County	Michigan	Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix (1682–1761), Jesuit traveller and historian of New France
Charlotte County	Florida	Directly named for Charlotte Harbor, a bay of the Gulf of Mexico that borders on the county, which in turn was named for Charlotte, queen consort of King George III. The bay was originally named "Carlos" by the area's earlier Spanish explorers, from the native Calusa people and their leaders, known as Carlos to the Spanish.)
Charlotte County	Virginia	Charlotte, queen consort of King George III
City of Charlottesville	Virginia
Charlton County	Georgia	Robert Milledge Charlton, a U.S. senator from Georgia
Chase County	Kansas	Salmon P. Chase, senator and governor from Ohio and Chief Justice of the United States
Chase County	Nebraska	Champion S. Chase, a mayor of Omaha who served as Nebraska's first attorney general
Chatham County	Georgia	William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, one of England's most celebrated prime ministers
Chatham County	North Carolina
Chattahoochee County	Georgia	The Chattahoochee River, which forms the county's western boundary, whose name probably comes from a Creek Indian word for "painted rock"
Chattooga County	Georgia	The Chattooga River, one of two Georgia rivers bearing that name
Chautauqua County	Kansas	Chautauqua County, New York
Chautauqua County	New York	A Seneca word meaning "where the fish was taken out"
Chaves County	New Mexico	José Francisco Chaves, a 19th-century New Mexico political and military figure
Cheatham County	Tennessee	Edward Cheatham, state legislator
Cheboygan County	Michigan	The Cheboygan River
Chelan County	Washington	A Native American word meaning "deep water", likely referring to Lake Chelan
Chemung County	New York	A Lenape word meaning "big horn", which was the name of a local Native American village
Chenango County	New York	An Onondaga word meaning "large bull-thistle"
Cherokee County	Alabama	The Cherokee Nation
Cherokee County	Iowa
Cherokee County	Kansas
Cherokee County	North Carolina
Cherokee County	Oklahoma
Cherokee County	South Carolina
Cherokee County	Texas
Cherry County	Nebraska	Samuel A. Cherry
City of Chesapeake	Virginia	The Chesapeake tribe of Native Americans
Cheshire County	New Hampshire	The English county of Cheshire
Chester County	Pennsylvania	The English city of Chester in the county of Cheshire
Chester County	South Carolina	Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester County	Tennessee	Tennessee state legislator Robert I. Chester
Chesterfield County	South Carolina	Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
Chesterfield County	Virginia
Cheyenne County	Colorado	The Cheyenne Native American people
Cheyenne County	Kansas
Cheyenne County	Nebraska
Chickasaw County	Iowa	The Chickasaw Native American people
Chickasaw County	Mississippi
Chicot County	Arkansas	Point Chicot on the Mississippi River
Childress County	Texas	George Childress (1804–1841), one of the authors of the Texas Declaration of Independence
Chilton County	Alabama	William Parish Chilton (1810–1871), Alabama Supreme Court Justice and Confederate congressman
Chippewa County	Michigan	The Ojibwe Native American people, also known as the Chippewa
Chippewa County	Wisconsin
Chippewa County	Minnesota	The Chippewa River
Chisago County	Minnesota	Chisago Lake
Chittenden County	Vermont	Thomas Chittenden, Vermont's first governor
Choctaw County	Alabama	The Choctaw Nation of Native Americans
Choctaw County	Mississippi
Choctaw County	Oklahoma
Chouteau County	Montana	Jean Pierre Chouteau and his son Pierre Chouteau, Jr., members of the Chouteau fur-trading family
Chowan County	North Carolina	The Chowan Native American tribe [4]
Christian County	Illinois	Christian County, Kentucky
Christian County	Kentucky	William Christian, a Kentucky soldier of the Revolutionary War
Christian County	Missouri
Churchill County	Nevada	Fort Churchill, named in turn for Sylvester Churchill (1783–1862), a general in the Mexican–American War
Cibola County	New Mexico	The Seven Cities of Cibola
Cimarron County	Oklahoma	The Cimarron River, from the early Spanish name, Río de los Carneros Cimarrón, which is usually translated as "River of the Wild Sheep"
Citrus County	Florida	The county's citrus trees
Clackamas County	Oregon	The Clackamas tribe of Native Americans living in the area
Claiborne County	Mississippi	William C. C. Claiborne (1775–1817), Governor of Louisiana and Governor of Mississippi Territory
Claiborne County	Tennessee
Claiborne Parish	Louisiana
Clallam County	Washington	From Klallam , meaning "the strong people"
Clare County	Michigan	County Clare, Ireland
Clarendon County	South Carolina	Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon
Clarion County	Pennsylvania	The Clarion River, which was named by surveyor Daniel Stanard in 1817, who said "The ripple of the river sounds like a distant clarion." [5]
Clark County	Arkansas	William Clark, co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Clark County	Missouri
Clark County	Washington
Clark County	Idaho	Sam K. Clark, an Idaho state senator and early settler in the area
Clark County	Illinois	George Rogers Clark, the hero of the western front of the Revolutionary War, and older brother of William Clark
Clark County	Indiana
Clark County	Kentucky
Clark County	Ohio
Clark County	Kansas	Charles F. Clark
Clark County	Nevada	William A. Clark (1839–1925), a Montana copper magnate and United States senator who was largely responsible for the building of the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad through the area
Clark County	South Dakota	Newton Clark, territorial legislator
Clark County	Wisconsin	Either George Rogers Clark (1752–1812), Revolutionary War general, or A.W. Clark, founder of Clark's Mill
Clarke County	Alabama	John Clarke (1766–1832), general from Georgia
Clarke County	Georgia	Revolutionary War hero Elijah Clarke
Clarke County	Iowa	James Clarke, third governor of the Iowa Territory
Clarke County	Mississippi	Joshua G. Clark
Clarke County	Virginia	George Rogers Clark, the hero of the western front of the American Revolutionary War, and older brother of William Clark
Clatsop County	Oregon	The Clatsop people, who lived along the coast of the Pacific Ocean prior to European settlement
Clay County	Alabama	Henry Clay (1777–1852), U.S. legislator from Kentucky
Clay County	Florida
Clay County	Georgia
Clay County	Illinois
Clay County	Indiana
Clay County	Kansas
Clay County	Minnesota
Clay County	Mississippi
Clay County	Missouri
Clay County	Nebraska
Clay County	North Carolina
Clay County	South Dakota
Clay County	Tennessee
Clay County	Texas
Clay County	West Virginia
Clay County	Arkansas	John M. Clayton, a state senator
Clay County	Iowa	Henry Clay, Jr. (1807–1847), officer in the Mexican–American War
Clay County	Kentucky	Green Clay (1757–1826), a Kentucky politician and cousin of Henry Clay who fought in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812
Clayton County	Georgia	Judge Augustin Smith Clayton, who held the county's first sessions of the superior court and later served in both the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate
Clayton County	Iowa	John M. Clayton (1796–1856), United States senator from Delaware
Clear Creek County	Colorado	Clear Creek, which runs through the county
Clearfield County	Pennsylvania	The cleared fields from logging in the area
Clearwater County	Idaho	The Clearwater River
Clearwater County	Minnesota	The Clearwater River and Clearwater Lake, both within the county
Cleburne County	Alabama	Patrick Cleburne (1828–1864), major general in the Confederate States Army
Cleburne County	Arkansas
Clermont County	Ohio	Unknown. Clermont is French for "clear mountain"
Cleveland County	Arkansas	Grover Cleveland (1837–1908), 22nd and 24th President of the United States
Cleveland County	Oklahoma
Cleveland County	North Carolina	Benjamin Cleveland (1738–1806), a colonel in the Revolutionary War who took part in the Battle of Kings Mountain
Clinch County	Georgia	General Duncan Lamont Clinch, who served in the War of 1812, defeated the Seminole leader Osceola in Florida, and later served in the U.S. Congress
Clinton County	Illinois	DeWitt Clinton (1769–1828), Governor of New York, responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal
Clinton County	Indiana
Clinton County	Iowa
Clinton County	Kentucky
Clinton County	Michigan
Clinton County	Pennsylvania
Clinton County	Missouri	George Clinton, fourth Vice President of the United States and first and third Governor of New York
Clinton County	New York
Clinton County	Ohio
Cloud County	Kansas	William F. Cloud, Union Army officer
Coahoma County	Mississippi	A Choctaw word meaning "red panther"
Coal County	Oklahoma	Coal, the primary economic product of the region at the time
Cobb County	Georgia	Thomas Willis Cobb, a US representative and senator
Cochise County	Arizona	Cochise, the Apache leader
Cochran County	Texas	Robert E. Cochran (1810–1836), a defender of the Alamo
Cocke County	Tennessee	William Cocke (1747–1828), one of Tennessee's first U.S. senators
Coconino County	Arizona	The Coconino Native American people, a Hopi designation for the Havasupai and Yavapai people
Codington County	South Dakota	The Reverend G. S. Codington
Coffee County	Alabama	John Coffee (1772–1833), frontiersman, planter, and veteran of the Creek War and War of 1812
Coffee County	Georgia
Coffee County	Tennessee
Coffey County	Kansas	A. M. Coffey
Coke County	Texas	Richard Coke, the fifteenth governor of Texas (1874–1876)
Colbert County	Alabama	George Colbert (?–1839) and Levi Colbert (?–1834), Chickasaw chiefs
Cole County	Missouri	Stephen Cole, pioneer
Coleman County	Texas	Robert M. Coleman, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto
Coles County	Illinois	Edward Coles (1786–1868), second Governor of Illinois
Colfax County	Nebraska	Schuyler Colfax, 17th Vice President of the United States
Colfax County	New Mexico
Colleton County	South Carolina	Sir John Colleton, 1st Baronet
Collier County	Florida	Barron Collier (1873–1939), an advertising entrepreneur who developed much of the land in southern Florida
Collin County	Texas	Collin McKinney (1766–1861), an author of the Texas Declaration of Independence
Collingsworth County	Texas	James Collinsworth, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and first chief justice of the Republic of Texas
City of Colonial Heights	Virginia	From the Coloniels, French troops under the command of Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, who occupied the site in 1781 during the Revolutionary War
Colorado County	Texas	The Colorado River of Texas (Colorado is Spanish for "red")
Colquitt County	Georgia	U.S. Senator Walter T. Colquitt
Columbia County	Arkansas	Columbia, a female personification of the United States, derived from Christopher Columbus
Columbia County	Florida
Columbia County	Georgia
Columbia County	New York
Columbia County	Pennsylvania
Columbia County	Wisconsin
Columbia County	Oregon	The Columbia River, itself named after the ship Columbia Rediviva of Captain Robert Gray, first American explorer to enter the river
Columbia County	Washington
Columbiana County	Ohio	Christopher Columbus
Columbus County	North Carolina
Colusa County	California	Two Mexican land grants; Coluses (1844) and Colus (1845)
Comal County	Texas	The Comal River (Comal is Spanish for "basin")
Comanche County	Kansas	The Comanche Native Americans, from the Spanish Camino Ancho, meaning "broad trail"
Comanche County	Oklahoma
Comanche County	Texas
Concho County	Texas	The Concho River (concho is Spanish for "shell")
Concordia Parish	Louisiana	From an early land grant called New Concordia; or from the "concord" reached by local authorities over a mutual surrender of slaves; or for a mansion called Concord which was owned by Governor de Lemos
Conecuh County	Alabama	The Conecuh River, which flows through the county. Derived from Muscogee koha anaka ("near the canebrake") or kono ekv ("skunk head")
Conejos County	Colorado	The Spanish word for "rabbits"; the swift-moving Conejos River also runs through the county
Contra Costa County	California	The Spanish phrase for "opposite coast", referring to its position across San Francisco Bay from the city of San Francisco
Converse County	Wyoming	A. R. Converse, a banker and rancher from Cheyenne
Conway County	Arkansas	Henry Wharton Conway (1793–1827), territorial delegate to the United States House of Representatives
Cook County	Georgia	General Philip Cook, who fought in the Seminole Wars and the Civil War and was Georgia's Secretary of State for over 20 years
Cook County	Illinois	The early Illinois statesman Daniel Pope Cook
Cook County	Minnesota	Major Michael Cook of Faribault: Civil War veteran and territorial and state senator, 1857–62
Cooke County	Texas	William Gordon Cooke, a soldier during the Texas Revolution
Cooper County	Missouri	Sarshel Benjamin Cooper, pioneer settler
Coös County	New Hampshire	Native American word meaning "crooked", in reference to a bend in the Connecticut River
Coos County	Oregon	The Coos tribe of Native Americans who lived in the region
Coosa County	Alabama	The Coosa River, which flows through the county, after a Native American village
Copiah County	Mississippi	Choctaw coi apahyah, "calling panther"
Corson County	South Dakota	Dighton Corson, a Justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court
Cortland County	New York	Pierre Van Cortlandt, first Lieutenant Governor of New York
Coryell County	Texas	James Coryell, a frontiersman who was killed by Native Americans
Coshocton County	Ohio	A Lenape village, the name of which means "union of waters"
Costilla County	Colorado	The settlement of Costilla, New Mexico (at the time the county was named (1861), the settlement was in Colorado- an 1868 boundary revision placed it in New Mexico). Costilla is a Spanish word meaning either "little rib" or "furring timber".
Cottle County	Texas	George Washington Cottle, who died defending the Alamo
Cotton County	Oklahoma	Cotton, the principal economic base of the county
Cottonwood County	Minnesota	The Cottonwood River, named for the cottonwood trees along its shores
City of Covington	Virginia	Leonard Covington (1768–1813), brigadier general in the War of 1812 and U.S. congressman
Covington County	Alabama
Covington County	Mississippi
Coweta County	Georgia	The Coweta Indians, a Creek tribe headed by William McIntosh, Jr., the half-Scot, half-Creek who relinquished lands to the federal government in the 1825 Treaty of Indian Springs
Cowley County	Kansas	Matthew Cowley, Union Army lieutenant
Cowlitz County	Washington	The Cowlitz tribe of Native Americans
Craig County	Oklahoma	Granville Craig, a prominent Cherokee
Craig County	Virginia	Robert Craig (1792–1892), U.S. Representative from Virginia
Craighead County	Arkansas	Thomas Craighead (1798–1862), a state senator who actually opposed the creation of the county
Crane County	Texas	William Carey Crane, a president of Baylor University
Craven County	North Carolina	William, Earl of Craven, who was a Lord Proprietor of colonial North Carolina
Crawford County	Arkansas	William H. Crawford, U.S. Treasury Secretary
Crawford County	Georgia
Crawford County	Illinois
Crawford County	Iowa
Crawford County	Missouri
Crawford County	Wisconsin
Crawford County	Indiana	Either U.S. Treasury Secretary William H. Crawford or Revolutionary War soldier William Crawford
Crawford County	Kansas	Samuel J. Crawford, third Governor of Kansas
Crawford County	Michigan	William Crawford, Revolutionary War soldier
Crawford County	Ohio
Crawford County	Pennsylvania
Creek County	Oklahoma	The Muscogee (Creek) people
Crenshaw County	Alabama	Anderson Crenshaw (1783–1847), settler of Butler County, Alabama
Crisp County	Georgia	Charles Frederick Crisp, a jurist and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Crittenden County	Arkansas	Robert Crittenden (1797–1834), Governor of the Arkansas Territory
Crittenden County	Kentucky	John J. Crittenden, Governor of Kentucky (1848–1850)
Crockett County	Tennessee	Davy Crockett (1786–1836), frontier humorist, congressman, and defender of the Alamo
Crockett County	Texas
Crook County	Oregon	General George Crook (1828–1980), a U.S. Army officer who served in the American Civil War and various Indian Wars
Crook County	Wyoming
Crosby County	Texas	Stephen Crosby, a land commissioner
Cross County	Arkansas	David C. Cross, a Confederate soldier in the Civil War and local politician
Crow Wing County	Minnesota	The Crow Wing River, itself named for an island at the river's mouth in the shape of a crow's wing
Crowley County	Colorado	John H. Crowley, state senator
Culberson County	Texas	David Browning Culberson, a lawyer and soldier in the Civil War
Cullman County	Alabama	Colonel John G. Cullmann (1823–1895), founder of the county seat
Culpeper County	Virginia	Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper, colonial governor of Virginia, 1677–1683
Cumberland County	Illinois	The Cumberland Road, or Cumberland, Maryland, or the Cumberland River in Kentucky
Cumberland County	Kentucky	The Cumberland River
Cumberland County	Maine	Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, youngest son of King George II
Cumberland County	New Jersey
Cumberland County	North Carolina
Cumberland County	Virginia
Cumberland County	Pennsylvania	The historical county of Cumberland, England
Cumberland County	Tennessee	The Cumberland Mountains
Cuming County	Nebraska	Thomas B. Cuming, an early governor of the territory
Currituck County	North Carolina	Algonquin term meaning "Land of the Wild Goose", also spelled coratank
Curry County	New Mexico	George Curry, a governor of New Mexico Territory from 1907 to 1910
Curry County	Oregon	George Law Curry (1820–1878), a governor of the Oregon Territory
Custer County	Colorado	General George Armstrong Custer, who died at the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Custer County	Montana
Custer County	Nebraska
Custer County	Oklahoma
Custer County	South Dakota
Custer County	Idaho	The General Custer Mine, in turn named for General George Armstrong Custer
Cuyahoga County	Ohio	The Cuyahoga River, which means "crooked river" in an Iroquoian language

D

County name	State	Name origin
Dade County	Florida	Former name of Miami-Dade County, Florida, from Major Francis L. Dade, who was killed in 1835 during the Second Seminole War
Dade County	Georgia	Major Francis L. Dade, who was killed in 1835 during the Second Seminole War
Dade County	Missouri
Daggett County	Utah	Ellsworth Daggett (1810–1880), the first Utah Surveyor General
Dakota County	Minnesota	Dakota language word meaning "Allies", after the Dakota branch of the Sioux Native American tribe
Dakota County	Nebraska
Dale County	Alabama	Samuel Dale (1772–1841), brigadier general and state legislator
Dallam County	Texas	James Wilmer Dallam, a lawyer and newspaper publisher
Dallas County	Alabama	Alexander James Dallas (1759–1817), U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
Dallas County	Arkansas	George Mifflin Dallas, eleventh vice president of the United States
Dallas County	Iowa
Dallas County	Missouri
Dallas County	Texas
Dane County	Wisconsin	Nathan Dane (1752–1835), delegate to the First Continental Congress, 1785–1788
Daniels County	Montana	Mansfield A. Daniels, an early rancher and storekeeper
City of Danville	Virginia	The Dan River, which flows through the city
Dare County	North Carolina	Virginia Dare (b. 1587), the first child born of English parents in America
Darke County	Ohio	General William Darke (1736–1801), Revolutionary War officer
Darlington County	South Carolina	The town of Darlington in England
Dauphin County	Pennsylvania	Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France, the first son of Louis XVI
Davidson County	North Carolina	William Lee Davidson (1746–1781), a Revolutionary War brigadier general who died at the Battle of Cowan's Ford
Davidson County	Tennessee
Davie County	North Carolina	Revolutionary War cavalry leader and North Carolina statesman William Richardson Davie
Daviess County	Indiana	Military man Joseph Hamilton Daveiss (1774–1811), killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe
Daviess County	Kentucky
Daviess County	Missouri
Davis County	Iowa	Garrett Davis (1801–1872), congressman
Davis County	Utah	Daniel C. Davis (1804–1850), Mormon Battalion captain
Davison County	South Dakota	Henry C. Davison, early resident of county
Dawes County	Nebraska	James W. Dawes, the sixth governor of Nebraska
Dawson County	Georgia	Jurist and politician William Crosby Dawson
Dawson County	Montana	Andrew Dawson, a trapping official and major in the United States Army
Dawson County	Nebraska	Jacob Dawson, the first postmaster in the settlement of Lancaster (present-day Lincoln, the state capital)
Dawson County	Texas	Nicholas Mosby Dawson, a soldier of the Texas Revolution and victim of the Dawson Massacre
Day County	South Dakota	Merritt H. Day, territorial legislator
De Baca County	New Mexico	Ezequiel Cabeza De Baca, the second governor of New Mexico
De Soto Parish	Louisiana	Hernando de Soto, a Spanish explorer and conquistador
Deaf Smith County	Texas	Erastus Deaf Smith (1787–1837), a scout during the Texas Revolution
Dearborn County	Indiana	U.S. Secretary of War Henry Dearborn
Decatur County	Georgia	Commodore Stephen Decatur, a naval leader in the War of 1812 and who defeated the Barbary Coast pirates at Tripoli in 1815
Decatur County	Indiana
Decatur County	Iowa
Decatur County	Kansas
Decatur County	Tennessee
Deer Lodge County	Montana	Deer Lodge Valley, which in turn was either named for the Native American name "Lodge of the White-tailed Deer" or a salt lick where deer came in droves
Defiance County	Ohio	The city of Defiance, Ohio, which was built on the site of Fort Defiance, built by General "Mad" Anthony Wayne in the late 18th century
DeKalb County	Alabama	Baron Johann de Kalb (1721–1780), a German soldier who fought on the side of the Americans in the Revolutionary War
DeKalb County	Georgia
DeKalb County	Illinois
DeKalb County	Indiana
DeKalb County	Missouri
DeKalb County	Tennessee
Del Norte County	California	From the Spanish word for "northern", because Del Norte County is the northwesternmost county in the state
Delaware County	Indiana	The Lenape (or "Delaware") Native American people
Delaware County	Ohio
Delaware County	Iowa	The state of Delaware, or for Delaware County, New York
Delaware County	New York	Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577–1618), an early colonial leader in Virginia
Delaware County	Oklahoma	The Delaware District of the old Cherokee Nation
Delaware County	Pennsylvania	The Delaware River, in turn named for Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577–1618), an early colonial leader in Virginia
Delta County	Colorado	The town of Delta, Colorado, which itself is named for its location on the broad river delta formed by the Gunnison River and the Uncompahgre River
Delta County	Michigan	The Greek letter Delta (Δ), referring to the triangular shape of the original county which included segments of Menominee, Dickinson, Iron and Marquette counties
Delta County	Texas	The Greek letter Delta (Δ), referring to the triangular shape of the county
Denali Borough	Alaska	Denali (Mount McKinley), the tallest North American mountain, from Dena'ina for "great one"
Dent County	Missouri	James Dent, settler
Denton County	Texas	John B. Denton, a preacher, lawyer, and soldier
City and County of Denver	Colorado	James W. Denver, a former governor of the Kansas Territory which the place was part of at the time
Des Moines County	Iowa	The Des Moines River
Deschutes County	Oregon	The Deschutes River, from the French words meaning "of the falls"
Desha County	Arkansas	Benjamin Desha, a soldier in the War of 1812
DeSoto County	Florida	Hernando de Soto, a Spanish explorer and conquistador
DeSoto County	Mississippi
Deuel County	Nebraska	The Deuel family
Deuel County	South Dakota	Jacob S. Deuel, pioneer legislator
Dewey County	Oklahoma	Either for Admiral George Dewey (1837–1917) or derived from its original name, County "D", during the land run of 1892 and later changed
Dewey County	South Dakota	William P. Dewey, territorial surveyor-general
DeWitt County	Illinois	DeWitt Clinton (1769–1828), Governor of New York, responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal
DeWitt County	Texas	Green DeWitt, an empresario who founded an early colony in Texas
Dickens County	Texas	J. Dickens, who died at the Battle of the Alamo
Dickenson County	Virginia	William J. Dickenson, delegate to the Virginia General Assembly
Dickey County	North Dakota	Dakota territorial legislator George H. Dickey
Dickinson County	Iowa	Daniel S. Dickinson (1800–1866), United States senator from New York
Dickinson County	Kansas
Dickinson County	Michigan	Donald M. Dickinson (1846–1917), Postmaster General in the Cleveland Administration
Dickson County	Tennessee	U.S. Representative William Dickson (1770–1816)
Dillingham Census Area	Alaska	The city of Dillingham, the largest settlement in the area, in turn named after U.S. Senator Paul Dillingham (1843–1923), who had toured Alaska extensively with his Senate subcommittee in 1903
Dillon County	South Carolina	James W. Dillon, a wealthy Irish settler who campaigned to bring a railroad to the region.
Dimmit County	Texas	Philip Dimmitt, a major figure in the Texas Revolution
Dinwiddie County	Virginia	Robert Dinwiddie, lieutenant governor of colonial Virginia from 1751 to 1758
Divide County	North Dakota	Created by division from Williams County
Dixie County	Florida	"Dixie", a common nickname for the southern United States
Dixon County	Nebraska	The Dixon family
Doddridge County	West Virginia	Philip Doddridge, U.S. congressman from Virginia
Dodge County	Georgia	William E. Dodge, a New York businessman who owned large tracts of forest land in Georgia
Dodge County	Minnesota	Henry Dodge (1782–1867), twice governor of Wisconsin
Dodge County	Wisconsin
Dodge County	Nebraska	Augustus C. Dodge, a United States senator from Iowa who was a supporter of the Kansas–Nebraska Act
Dolores County	Colorado	The Dolores River, itself originally named by Spanish explorers as El Río de Nuestra Señora de Delores ("The River of Our Lady of Sorrows")
Doña Ana County	New Mexico	The town of Doña Ana, the county's first seat, which in turn was named for Doña Ana Robledo, a 17th-century woman known for her charitable giving
Doniphan County	Kansas	A. W. Doniphan
Donley County	Texas	Stockton P. Donley, a frontier lawyer
Dooly County	Georgia	Colonel John Dooly, a Revolutionary War hero who helped prosecute Tories in 1779 and was killed by them the following year
Door County	Wisconsin	A water passage known as Porte des morts , French for "door of the dead" after many Native Americans died in the passage during a conflict
Dorchester County	Maryland	The town of Dorchester, Dorset, in England; Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset was a friend of the Calvert family
Dorchester County	South Carolina	The town of Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dougherty County	Georgia	Judge Charles Dougherty of Athens, Georgia
Douglas County	Colorado	Stephen A. Douglas (1813–1861), prominent Illinois Democrat and rival of Abraham Lincoln for the presidency
Douglas County	Georgia
Douglas County	Illinois
Douglas County	Kansas
Douglas County	Minnesota
Douglas County	Missouri
Douglas County	Nebraska
Douglas County	Nevada
Douglas County	Oregon
Douglas County	South Dakota
Douglas County	Washington
Douglas County	Wisconsin
Drew County	Arkansas	Thomas Stevenson Drew (1802–1879), third Governor of Arkansas
Dubois County	Indiana	Toussaint Dubois, who fought in the War of 1812
Dubuque County	Iowa	Julien Dubuque (1762–1810), first permanent white settler in Iowa
Duchesne County	Utah	Uncertain; perhaps Fort Duchesne; or Du Chasne, a French fur trapper in the 1830s; or French historian André Duchesne (1584–1640); or Rose Philippine Duchesne (1769–1852), founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart in the state; or an Indian chief in past years; or a Ute word translated as "dark canyon"
Dukes County	Massachusetts	King James II, who was Duke of York before his accession
Dundy County	Nebraska	Elmer Scipio Dundy, a U.S. Circuit Court judge from Nebraska
Dunklin County	Missouri	Daniel Dunklin (1790–1844), fifth governor of Missouri
Dunn County	North Dakota	John P. Dunn, an early civic leader of Bismarck
Dunn County	Wisconsin	Charles Dunn, state senator and chief justice of the Wisconsin Territory
DuPage County	Illinois	The DuPage River, which flows through the county and was named for a French trader
Duplin County	North Carolina	British nobleman Thomas Hay, Viscount Dupplin (1710–1787)
Durham County	North Carolina	The city of Durham, which was named in honor of Dr. Bartlett S. Durham, who donated the land on which the railroad station was located
Dutchess County	New York	Mary of Modena, the Duchess of York, in 1683
Duval County	Florida	William Pope Duval (1784–1854), the first governor of the Florida Territory
Duval County	Texas	Burr H. Duval (1809–1836), a soldier in the Texas Revolution who died in the Goliad Massacre
Dyer County	Tennessee	Tennessee state legislator Robert Henry Dyer

See also

• Lists of U.S. county name etymologies for links to the remainder of the list.

References

1. Idaho.gov - Bonneville County Archived August 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine - accessed 2009-05-31
2. "Brevard County Maps". Exploring Florida History. University of Florida . Retrieved 2008-02-05.
3. "Catoosa County". Georgia Counties. State of Georgia . Retrieved 2009-11-28.
4. "Chowan County Profile". Website. epodunk. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
5. Clarion County Historical Society, Walking Among Our Ancestors: Book One: Ashland Township, Mechling Bookbindery (2003) ISBN   0-9744657-3-9