This is a list of etymologies of former counties of the United States , including former names of current counties.
County name (years established) | State | Name origin | Modern counties |
---|---|---|---|
Baine County (1866–1868) | Alabama | David W. Baine, Confederate General [1] | Etowah County |
Baker County (1868–1874) | Alfred Baker, founder of Clanton, Alabama [2] | Chilton County | |
Benton County (1832–1858) | Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. Senator from Missouri [3] | Calhoun County | |
Cahawba County (1818–1820) | The Cahawba (Cahaba) River [4] | Bibb County | |
Cotaco County (1818–1821) | Cotaco Creek, possibly derived from the Cherokee "ikati" (swamp) and "kunahita" (long) [5] [6] | Morgan County | |
Decatur County (1821-1825) | Stephen Decatur, Naval Commodore | Madison and Jackson counties | |
Hancock County (1850–1858) | John Hancock, Founding Father and Governor of Massachusetts [7] | Winston County | |
Jones County (1867) | Elliot P. Jones, Alabama Legislature member [8] | Lamar County | |
Jones County (1868) | Josiah Jones, former legislator and local political leader [8] | Covington County | |
Sanford County (1868–1877) | Henry C. Sanford, Alabama Senate member [8] | Lamar County | |
Chugiak–Eagle River Borough (1974–1975) | Alaska | Chugiak, Anchorage and Eagle River, Anchorage [9] | Municipality of Anchorage |
Greater Anchorage Area Borough (1964–1975) | Anchorage [10] | Municipality of Anchorage | |
Greater Juneau Area Borough (1963–1970) | Juneau [11] | City and Borough of Juneau | |
Greater Sitka Borough (1963–1971) | Sitka [12] | City and Borough of Sitka | |
Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon Census Area (1992–2007) | Angoon, Hoonah, and Skagway [13] | Municipality of Skagway and Hoonah–Angoon Census Area | |
Skagway-Yakutat-Angoon Census Area (1980–1992) | Angoon, Skagway, and Yakutat [14] | Municipality of Skagway, City and Borough of Yakutat and Hoonah–Angoon Census Area | |
Valdez–Cordova Census Area (1980–2019) | Cordova and Valdez [15] | Chugach Census Area and Copper River Census Area | |
Wade Hampton Census Area (1980–2015) | Wade Hampton III, Confederate officer and South Carolina politician [16] | Kusilvak Census Area | |
Pah-Ute County (1865–1871) | Arizona | Southern Paiute people, a Native American tribe which inhabited the area [17] | Mohave County and Clark County, Nevada |
Clayton County (1873–1875) | Arkansas | Either John M. Clayton, Arkansas Senate member, or Powell Clayton, U.S. Senator from Arkansas [18] [19] | Clay County |
Dorsey County (1873–1885) | Stephen Wallace Dorsey, U.S. Senator from Arkansas [20] | Cleveland County | |
Lovely County (1827–1828) | Major William Lewis Lovely, Indian agent to the Arkansas Cherokee, who managed the transaction of the county's land [21] | Washington County and Oklahoma | |
Miller County (1820–1838) | James Miller, Governor of Arkansas Territory [22] | Fannin County | |
Sarber County (1871–1875) | John Sarber, Arkansas Senate member [23] | Logan County | |
Branciforte County (1850) | California | Branciforte, a Spanish colonial settlement, itself named for the 1st Marquess of Branciforte [24] | Santa Cruz County |
Klamath County (1851–1874) | A derivative of the Native "Athlameth" meaning people [25] | Humboldt and Siskiyou Counties | |
Guadaloupe County (1861) | Colorado | Unknown, possibly Our Lady of Guadalupe | Conejos County |
Greenwood County (1870–1874) | Unknown | Elbert and Bent Counties | |
Carbonate County (1879) | Unknown | Chaffee and Lake Counties | |
Uncompahgre County (1883) | The Uncompahgre Ute band of Ute people | Ouray County | |
South Arapahoe County (1902–1903) | Arapahoe County, from which it was created [26] | Arapahoe County | |
Westmoreland County (1776–1786) | Connecticut | The town of Westmoreland in the Wyoming Valley [27] | Luzerne County |
Washington County (1791–1871) | District of Columbia | George Washington, U.S. President [28] | Washington, D.C. |
Benton County (1844–1850) | Florida | Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. Senator from Missouri [29] | Hernando County |
Fayette County (1832–1834) | Marquis de Lafayette, Revolutionary War general and French politician [30] | Jackson, Calhoun, and Gulf Counties | |
Mosquito County (1824–1845) | Los Mosquitos, the Spanish name for Florida's east coast [31] | Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Seminole, Osceola, Orange, Lake, Polk and Palm Beach Counties | |
New River County (1858–1861) | New River, a tributary of the Santa Fe River [32] | Bradford County | |
Bourbon County (1785–1788) | Georgia | House of Bourbon, the European dynasty [33] | |
Campbell County (1828–1931) | Duncan G. Campbell, legislator and U.S. commissioner [34] | Douglas, Milton and Fulton Counties | |
Cass County (1832–1861) | Lewis Cass, Secretary of War [35] | Bartow County | |
Kinchafoonee County (1853–1856) | Kinchafoonee Creek, Creek for "mortar nutshells", a type of nutcracker [36] | Webster County | |
Milton County (1857–1931) | John Milton, Continental Army lieutenant and Georgia Secretary of State [37] | Fulton County | |
Walton County (1803–1818) | George Walton, U.S. Senator from Georgia [38] | Buncombe County | |
Alturas County (1864–1895) | Idaho | Spanish for "mountainous heights" [39] | Blaine and Lincoln Counties |
Lah-Toh County (1864–1867) | Latah Creek, Nez Perce for "the place of pine trees and pestle" [40] | Kootenai, Latah and Nez Perce Counties | |
Logan County (1889–1895) | Unknown | Lincoln County | |
Richardville County (1844) | Indiana | Jean Baptiste Richardville, civil chief of the Miami people [41] | Howard County |
Slaughter County (1838–1839) | Iowa | William B. Slaughter, secretary of Wisconsin Territory [42] | Washington County |
Bancroft County (1851–1857) | George Bancroft, Secretary of the Navy [43] | Kossuth County | |
Crocker County (1871–1872) | Marcellus M. Crocker, Union Army Brigadier general [44] | Kossuth County | |
Wahkaw County (1851–1853) | Sioux for "big medicine" [45] | Woodbury County | |
Billings County (1873–1874) | Kansas | Either as a joke or for N. H. Billings, county attorney [46] | Norton County |
Breckinridge County (1873–1881) | John C. Breckinridge, Kentucky politician and U.S. Vice President [47] | Lyon County | |
Buffalo County (1873–1881) | American bison, which were common in the area [48] | Gray and Finney Counties | |
Davis County (1855–1889) | Jefferson Davis, then-Secretary of War [49] | Geary County | |
Foote County (1873–1881) | Most likely Andrew Hull Foote, Union Naval officer [50] | Gray County | |
Garfield County (1887–1893) | James A. Garfield, U.S. President [51] | Finney County | |
Godfrey County (1855–1861) | Either Bill Godfrey, trader among the Osage Nation, or Gabriel Godfrey, subagent to the Potawatomi [52] | Chautauqua and Elk Counties | |
Howard County (1867–1875) | Oliver Otis Howard, Union Army general [53] | Chautauqua and Elk Counties | |
Hunter County (1855–1864) | Most likely Robert M. T. Hunter, Virginia politician [54] | Butler, Cowley, Sedgwick, Sumner, Elk, Chautauqua, and Greenwood Counties | |
Irving County (1860–1864) | Washington Irving, author [55] | Butler County | |
Kansas County (1873–1883) | The Kaw (Kansas) tribe [56] | Seward County | |
Madison County (1855–1861) | Most likely James Madison, U.S. President [57] | Lyon and Greenwood Counties | |
Otoe County (1860–1864) | Otoe, a Native American people [58] | Butler County | |
Peketon County (1859–1861) | Unknown, possibly a Sauk word for "flat land" [59] | Most of south west Kansas | |
Sequoyah County (1873–1883) | Sequoyah, creator of the Cherokee syllabary [60] | Finney County | |
Seward County (1861–1867) | Most likely William H. Seward, U.S. Secretary of State [61] | Chautauqua, Elk, and Greenwood Counties | |
Shirley County (1860–1867) | Either William Shirley, colonial governor of Massachusetts, or Jane Shirley, a "lady of questionable character" [62] | Cloud County | |
Washington County (1855–1857) | George Washington, U.S. President [63] | Most of south west Kansas | |
Beckham County (1904) | Kentucky | J. C. W. Beckham, Governor of Kentucky [64] | Carter County |
Biloxi Parish (1811-1812) | Louisiana | Unknown | Coastal Mississippi |
Carroll Parish (1838–1877) | Charles Carroll of Carrollton, U.S. Senator from Maryland [65] | East Carroll and West Carroll Parishes | |
Feliciana Parish (1810–1824) | Marie Felicité, wife of Viceroy of New Spain Bernardo de Gálvez [66] | East Feliciana and West Feliciana Parishes | |
Pascagoula Parish (1811–1812) | Unknown | Coastal Mississippi | |
Warren Parish (1811–1814) | Unknown | Ouachita and Concordia Parishes | |
Isle Royale County (1875–1897) | Michigan | Isle Royale, an island in Lake Superior | Keweenaw County |
Manitou County (1855–1895) | North and South Manitou Islands, in Lake Michigan | Leelanau County | |
Michilimackinac County (1818–1849) | Mi-shi-ne-macki-nong, the Ojibwe name for Mackinac Island, derived from the Mi-shi-ne-macki naw-go tribe [67] | Mackinac County | |
Tonedagana County (1840-1843) | Derived from a Odawa war chief from the Cross Village area [68] | Emmet County | |
Manomin County (1857–1858) | Minnesota | A variant spelling of "manoomin", the Ojibwe term for wild rice [69] | Anoka County |
Monongalia County (1861-1870) | Unknown | Kandiyohi County | |
Pearl County (1872–1878) | Mississippi | Pearl River, a river in the area | Pearl River County |
Allen County (1843–1845) | Missouri | Unknown | Atchison County |
Ashley County (1843–1845) | William Henry Ashley, Lieutenant Governor of Missouri [70] | Texas County | |
Decatur County (1843–1845) | Stephen Decatur, Naval Commodore [71] | Ozark County | |
Dodge County (1849–1853) | Unknown [72] | Putnam County | |
Kinderhook County (1841–1843) | Kinderhook, New York, birthplace of Martin Van Buren [71] | Camden County | |
Lillard County (1821–1825) | James Lillard, constitutional convention and Missouri General Assembly member [71] | Camden County | |
Niangua County (1842–1844) | Niangua River, from the Native American "nehemgar", meaning "a river of numerous springs or sources" [73] | Dallas County | |
Rives County (1834–1841) | William Cabell Rives, Senator from Virginia [73] | Henry County | |
Edgerton County (1865–1867) | Montana | Sidney Edgerton, Governor of Montana Territory [74] | Lewis and Clark County |
Bullfrog County (1987–1989) | Nevada | Bullfrog Mining District, itself named for the gold ore there being colored like a bullfrog [75] | Nye County |
Lake County (1861–1862) | A number of lakes in the area, such as Honey Lake, Pyramid Lake, and Winnemucca Lake [76] | Lassen County and Washoe County | |
Ormsby County (1861–1969) | Major William Ormsby, early settler of Carson City and militia leader during the Pyramid Lake War [77] | Consolidated Municipality of Carson City | |
Roop County (1862–1864) | Isaac Roop, governor of Nevada Territory [76] | Lassen County and Washoe County | |
Santa Ana County (1852–1876) | New Mexico | Unknown | Bernalillo and McKinley Counties |
Charlotte County (1772–1784) | New York | Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of George III of the United Kingdom [78] | Washington County |
Tryon County (1772–1784) | William Tryon, colonial governor of New York [79] | Montgomery County | |
Glasgow County (1791–1799) | North Carolina | James Glasgow, North Carolina Secretary of State [80] | Greene County |
Wallace County (1883–1896) | North Dakota | Unknown | McKenzie County |
County E (1891–1892) | Oklahoma | Temporary name given by an Act of Congress [81] | Ellis, Roger Mills and Woodward Counties |
Day County (1892–1907) | Charles Day, a contractor who built the courthouse at Ioland [82] | Ellis, Roger Mills and Woodward Counties | |
Swanson County (1910–1911) | Claude A. Swanson, Governor of Virginia [83] | Comanche County | |
Umpqua County (1851–1862) | Oregon | The Umpqua River, a river in the area [84] | Douglas and Coos Counties |
Ontario County (1810–1812) | Pennsylvania | Unknown | Bradford County |
Claremont County (1785–1800) | South Carolina | Unknown [85] | Sumter County |
Granville County (1785–1798) | John Granville, Earl of Bath, British landowner [86] | Beaufort and Colleton Counties | |
Lewisburg County (1785–1791) | Unknown | Orangeburg County | |
Liberty County (1785–1798) | The freedom gained due to the American Revolution [87] | Marion County | |
Orange County (1785–1791) | William of Orange, King of England [88] | Orangeburg County | |
Salem County (1791–1800) | Unknown, probably after Salem Black River Presbyterian Church [89] | Sumter County | |
Winton County (1785–1800) | Unknown | Barnwell County | |
Winyah County (1785–1800) | Winyah Bay, an estuary in the area [90] | Georgetown County | |
Armstrong County (1895–1953) | South Dakota | Moses K. Armstrong, delegate to the House of Representatives for Dakota at-large [91] | Dewey, Stanley, and Ziebach Counties |
Lugenbeel County (1889–1909) | Pinkney Lugenbeel, United States Army officer [92] | Bennett and Todd Counties | |
Pyatt County (1883–1895) | Unknown | Dewey, Stanley, and Ziebach Counties | |
Shannon County (1875–2015) | Peter C. Shannon, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Dakota Territory [93] | Oglala Lakota County | |
Washabaugh County (1883–1983) | Frank J. Washabaugh, member of the Dakota Territorial Council [94] | Jackson County | |
Washington County (1883–1943) | George Washington, U.S. President [94] | Jackson, Pennington and Shannon Counties | |
James County (1871–1919) | Tennessee | Rev. Jesse J. James, father of Elbert Abdiel James, who introduced legislation to form the county [95] | Hamilton County |
Buchanan County (1858–1861) | Texas | James Buchanan, U.S. President [96] | Stephens County |
Buchel County (1887–1897) | Augustus Buchel, Confederate colonel [97] | Brewster County | |
Dawson County (1858–1866) | Nicholas Mosby Dawson, Republic of Texas military leader and commander in the Dawson massacre [98] | Uvalde and Kinney Counties | |
Davis County (1861–1871) | Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America [99] | Cass County | |
Encinal County (1856–1899) | Unknown | Webb County | |
Foley County (1887–1897) | Unknown | Brewster County | |
Harrisburg County (1836–1839) | Harrisburg, Houston, itself named after Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and its founder, John Richardson Harris [100] | Harris County | |
Navasota County (1841–1842) | Unknown | Brazos County | |
Wegefarth County (1873–1876) | Conrad Wegefarth, president of the Texas Immigrant Aid and Supply Company [101] | Collingsworth, Donley, Briscoe, Childress, Gray, Hall, and Wheeler Counties | |
Cedar County (1856–1862) | Utah | Cedar trees growing in the area (which are actually juniper trees) [102] [103] | Utah County |
Desert County (1852–1862) | The surrounding desert | Box Elder and Tooele Counties | |
Greasewood County (1856–1862) | Sarcobatus (greasewood) plant, which grew in the area [104] | Box Elder County | |
Green River County (1852–1872) | The Green River, a Colorado River tributary [105] | Cache, Weber, Morgan, Davis, Wasatch, Summit, Duchesne, Carbon, and Utah Counties | |
Malad County (1856–1862) | The Malad River, from the French "malade" meaning sick [106] | Box Elder County | |
Rio Virgen County (1869–1872) | The Virgin River, a Colorado River tributary [107] | Washington County | |
Shambip County (1856–1862) | Unknown, possibly the Goshute word for the bulrush plant [108] | Tooele County | |
Elizabeth City County (1634–1952) | Virginia | Elizabeth Stuart, Queen consort of Bohemia [109] | City of Hampton |
Fincastle County (1772–1776) | Either Viscount of Fincastle, Scottish Peer, Earl of Dunmore, governor of Virginia, or Fincastle, Virginia [110] | Montgomery and Washington Counties | |
Illinois County (1778–1784) | The Algonquian word "ilinouek", meaning "ordinary speaker" [111] | Ohio and Illinois | |
Kentucky County (1778–1784) | The Iroquois word "ken-tah-ten", meaning either "land of tomorrow", "meadow", "prairie", or "the river of blood" [112] | Kentucky | |
Nansemond County (1646–1972) | The Nansemond indigenous people [113] | City of Suffolk | |
City of Nansemond (1972–1974) | |||
Norfolk County (1691–1963) | Most likely Norfolk, home county of Captain Adam Thoroughgood [114] | City of Chesapeake | |
Princess Anne County (1691–1963) | Queen Anne, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland [115] | City of Virginia Beach | |
Warwick County (1634–1952) | Either Robert Rich, Earl of Warwick, or Warwick, a town in the UK [116] | City of Newport News | |
City of Warwick (1952–1958) | |||
Yohogania County (1776–1779) | The Youghiogheny River, a tributary of the Monongahela River | Westmoreland County | |
Chehalis County (1854–1915) | Washington | The Chehalis people, meaning "sand" or "inlanders" [117] | Grays Harbor County |
Quillehuyte County (1868–1869) | Most likely the Quileute natives | Clallam and Jefferson Counties | |
Sawamish County (1868–1869) | The Sahewamish natives [118] | Mason County | |
Slaughter County (1857) | Lieutenant William A. Slaughter, who had been killed at White River a year prior [119] | Kitsap County | |
La Pointe County (1845–1866) | Wisconsin | La Pointe, Wisconsin | Itasca, Washington, Ramsey, Benton, Douglas, Ashland, and Bayfield Counties |
Carter County (1867–1869) | Wyoming | William Alexander Carter, a sutler from Fort Bridger, Wyoming [120] | Sweetwater County |
Pease County (1875–1879) | E. L. Pease, President of the Territorial Legislative Council [121] | Johnson County |
The term Bible Belt refers to a region of the Southern United States and the Midwestern state of Missouri, where evangelical Protestantism exerts a strong social and cultural influence. The region has been described as one of the most socially conservative across the United States due to a significant impact of Protestant Christianity on politics and culture. The region is known to have a higher church attendance, more evangelical Protestant denominations, and greater emphasis on traditional religious values compared to other parts of the country. The region contrasts with the religiously diverse Midwest and Great Lakes and the Mormon corridor in Utah, southern Idaho, and northern Arizona.
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A Smithsonian trinomial is a unique identifier assigned to archaeological sites in many states in the United States. Trinomials are composed of a one or two digit coding for the state, typically two letters coding for the county or county-equivalent within the state, and one or more sequential digits representing the order in which the site was listed in that county. The Smithsonian Institution developed the site number system in the 1930s and 1940s, but it no longer maintains the system. Trinomials are now assigned by the individual states. The 48 states then in the union were assigned numbers in alphabetical order. Alaska was assigned number 49 and Hawaii was assigned number 50, after those states were admitted to the union. There is no Smithsonian trinomial number assigned for the District of Columbia or any United States territory.
In general the bibliography of the American Civil War comprises over 60,000 books on the war, with more appearing each month. There is no complete bibliography to the war; the largest guide to books is over 40 years old and lists over 6,000 titles selected by leading scholars. The largest guides to the historiography annotates over a thousand titles.
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