From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of U.S. counties that are named for rivers and streams .
Counties named for rivers (alphabetical by county name) A
Alamance County, North Carolina : Alamance is named for
Great Alamance Creek .
Allegany County, New York : Allegany is a variant spelling of the
Allegheny River .
Alleghany County, North Carolina : Alleghany is a corruption of the
Native American
Delaware tribe 's word for the
Allegheny River , which is said to have meant a fine stream .
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania : Allegheny is a corruption of the
Native American
Delaware tribe 's word for the
Allegheny River , which is said to have meant a fine stream .
Amite County, Mississippi : Amite County is named for the
Amite River .
Appomattox County, Virginia : Appomattox is named for the
Appomattox River , which is in turn named for the
Appamatucks
Native American people.
Aroostook County, Maine : named for the
Aroostook River .
Ashtabula County, Ohio : Ashtabula was named for the
Ashtabula River .
Asotin County, Washington : Asotin is named for the
Nez Percé name for
Eel Creek .
Auglaize County, Ohio : Auglaize is named for the
Auglaize River . B
Beaver County, Oklahoma : Beaver is named for its
county seat of
Beaver, Oklahoma and the
Beaver River , which flows through the county.
Benzie County, Michigan is an Americanization of the
French name, Riviere Aux-Bec-Scies , for the local river.
Blanco County, Texas : Blanco is named for the
Blanco River . Blanco means white in the
Spanish language .
Boise County, Idaho : Boise is named after the
Boise River . Boise is
French for "timber".
Bosque County, Texas : Bosque is named for the
Bosque River .
Brazoria County, Texas : Brazoria is named for the
Brazos River .
Brazos County, Texas : Brazos is named for the
Brazos River .
Buffalo County, Wisconsin : Buffalo is named for the
Buffalo River . C
Canadian County, Oklahoma : Canadian County is named for the
Canadian River , which flows through the county.
Cassia County, Idaho : Cassia is named after
Cassia Creek .
Cattaraugus County, New York :Cattargus County is named for
Cattaraugus Creek
Cedar County, Iowa : Cedar is named for the
Cedar River .
Chariton County, Missouri : Chariton is named from the
Chariton River .
Chattahoochee County, Georgia : Chattahoochee is named for the
Chattahoochee River of Georgia, which also forms part of the Alabama-Georgia state line.
Chattooga County, Georgia : Chattooga is named for the
Chattooga River in northeast Georgia.
Cheboygan County, Michigan is named for the
Cheboygan River , which was itself a
Native American name.
Chippewa County, Minnesota is named after the
Chippewa River , which flows through the county.
Clear Creek County, Colorado : Clear Creek is named for
Clear Creek , which runs through the county.
Clearwater County, Idaho : Clearwater is named after the
Clearwater River .
Clearwater County, Minnesota is named after the
Clearwater River and
Clearwater Lake , which are both located within the county.
Colorado County, Texas : Colorado is named for the
Colorado River .
Columbia County, Oregon : Named for the
Columbia River which it borders.
Columbia County, Washington : Columbia is named for the
Columbia River .
Coosa County, Alabama : Named for the Coosa River of Alabama & Georgia
Cottonwood County, Minnesota is named after the
Cottonwood River , which flows through the county.
Costilla County, Colorado : Costilla is named for the
Costilla River .
Cuyahoga County, Ohio : Cuyahoga is named for the
Cuyahoga River .
Conecuh County, Alabama : Conecuh is named for the
Conecuh River in southern Alabama. D E F G H
Hillsborough County, Florida : Hillsborough is named for the
Hillsborough River (Florida) , which in turn is named after
Wills Hill, Viscount Hillsborough , a
British politician during the period of the
American Revolutionary War who ordered the mapping of the river's course.
Hocking County, Ohio : Hocking is named for the
Hocking River .
Hood River County, Oregon : Named for the
Hood River , a river in the county.
Humboldt County, Nevada : Humboldt is named for the
Humboldt River , named in turn for
Friedrich Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt , the famous German scientist, explorer and statesman.
Hudson County, New Jersey : Hudson is named for the
Hudson River , which in turn is named after
Henry Hudson . I J K
Kalamazoo County, Michigan is named for the
Kalamazoo River . Kalamazoo is an Anglicized Native American word which probably meant boiling water .
Kankakee County, Illinois : Kankakee is named after the
Kankakee River .
Kanabec County, Minnesota : Kanabec is named after the
Snake River , which flows through the area. Kanabec is
Ojibwa for snake .
Kanawha County, West Virginia : Kanawha is named for the
Kanawha River .
Kennebec County, Maine : Kennebec is named for the
Kennebec River .
Kern County, California : Kern is named after the
Kern River , which is named in turn for
Edward M. Kern , a
topographer who accompanied
John C. Frémont on an early expedition through the state.
Keya Paha County, Nebraska : Keya Paha is named for the
Dakota words Ké-ya Pa-há Wa-kpá , which, translated, mean
Turtle Hill River .
Kings County, California : Kings is named for the
Kings River .
Koochiching County, Minnesota is named after a
Cree word of uncertain meaning given by
Ojibwas to
Rainy River . L
Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania : Lackawanna is named after the
Lackawanna River .
Las Animas County, Colorado : Las Animas is named for the
Las Animas River , originally El Rio de las Animas Perdidas en Purgatorio , or, in
English , "River of the Souls Lost in Purgatory".
Latah County, Idaho : Latah is named after
Latah Creek .
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania : Leigh is named after the
Lehigh River ; a tributary of the
Delaware River .
Limestone County, Alabama : Limestone is named for
Limestone Creek , which runs through the county and has a bed of
limestone .
Little River County, Arkansas : Little River is named for the
Little River .
Loup County, Nebraska : Loup is named for the
Loup River . M
Mahoning County, Ohio : Mahoning is named for the
Mahoning River .
Malheur County, Oregon : Malheur is named for the
Malheur River .
Manistee County, Michigan was named for the
Manistee River , which in turn had Native American name meaning river at whose mouth there are islands .
Maries County, Missouri : Maries is named from the
Maries River .
Merrimack County, New Hampshire : Merrimack is named for the
Merrimack River .
Mississippi County, Arkansas : Mississippi is named for the Mississippi River.
Mississippi County, Missouri : Mississippi is named after the
Mississippi River .
Moniteau County, Missouri : Montineau is named after
Moniteau Creek .
Monongalia County, West Virginia : Monongalia is named for the
Monongahela River .
Muskegon County, Michigan is named for the
Muskegon River , named for the
Ojibwa language word meaning swamp or marsh .
Musselshell County, Montana : Musselshell is named for the
Musselshell River , named in turn by the
Lewis and Clark Expedition presumably due to
mussels found on its banks. N O
Oconee County, Georgia : Oconee is named for the
Oconee River that forms part of the county's border
Ohio County, Indiana : Ohio is named for the
Ohio River .
Ohio County, Kentucky : Also named for the Ohio River. When the county was formed, the river formed its northern boundary, but no longer does after several new counties were carved from it.
Ohio County, West Virginia : Also named for the Ohio River.
Ontonagon County, Michigan is named for a river called Nantounagon on an early
French map.
Otter Tail County, Minnesota : Otter Tail is named after
Otter Tail Lake and
Otter Tail River . The river was named by the
Ojibwa for its long sandbar shaped like an
otter 's tail.
Osage County, Kansas : Osage is named for the
Osage River .
Oswego County, New York : Oswego is named for the
Oswego River .
Ouachita County, Arkansas : Ouachita is named for the
Ouachita River .
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana : named for the
Ouachita River P
Payette County, Idaho : Payette is named after the
Payette River , which, in turn, is named for explorer
Francois Payette .
Pearl River County, Mississippi : Named for the Pearl River, obviously
Pecos County, Texas : Pecos [pey-kuhs] is named after the
Pecos River . The name "Pecos" derives from the
Keresan (Native American language) term for the
Pecos Pueblo , [p'æyok'ona].
Platte County, Nebraska : Platte is named for the
Platte River .
Platte County, Wyoming : Platte is named for the
North Platte River . Platte is
French for flat .
Plumas County, California : Plumas is named for Spanish name for the
Feather River (Rio de las Plumas ), which flows through the county.
Powder River County, Montana : Powder River is named for the
Powder River , which in turn was named for
gunpowder -like sand along its banks. R
Racine County, Wisconsin : Racine is named for the
Root River , racine being the
French word for root .
Rappahannock County, Virginia : Rappahannock is named for the
Rappahannock River , named in turn for the
Rappahannock
Native American people.
Red Lake County, Minnesota : Red Lake County is named after the
Red Lake River , named by the
Ojibwa for its reddish sand and water.
Red River County, Texas : Red River is named for the
Red River .
Red River Parish, Louisiana : named for the
Red River
Redwood County, Minnesota : Redwood County is named after the
Redwood River , which flows through the county.
Republic County, Kansas : Republic is named for the
Republican River , which in turn was named for the
Pawnee Republic which once existed near the river.
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico : Rio Arriba is named for its location on the upper
Rio Grande . (Rio Arriba is "upper river" in
Spanish .)
Rio Blanco County, Colorado : Rio Blanco is named for Rio Blanco, or, in
English , the
White River .
Rio Grande County, Colorado : Rio Grande is named for the
Rio Grande , which runs through the county.
Rock County, Wisconsin : Rock is named for the
Rock River .
Roseau County, Minnesota : Roseau County is named after the Roseau Lake and
Roseau River .
Rosebud County, Montana : Rosebud is named for the
Rosebud River , which was named for the many
wild roses along the banks of the river. S
Sacramento County, California : Named for the
Sacramento River
Saline County, Arkansas : Named for the
Saline River .
Saline County, Illinois : Named for the
Saline River .
Saline County, Kansas : Named for the
Saline River .
San Benito County, California : Named for
San Benito Creek .
San Juan County, Colorado : Named for the
San Juan River and
San Juan Mountains .
San Juan County, New Mexico : Named for the
San Juan River .
San Miguel County, Colorado : Named for the
San Miguel River .
Santa Cruz County, Arizona : Named for the
Santa Cruz River .
Sangamon County, Illinois Named for the
Sangamon River .
Scioto County, Ohio : Named for the
Scioto River .
Sevier County, Utah : Named for the
Sevier River .
Shenandoah County, Virginia : Named for the
Shenandoah River ; Shenandoah is a
Native American term meaning beautiful daughter of the stars .
Shiawassee County, Michigan : Shiawassee is named for the
Shiawassee River .
St. Francis County, Arkansas : St. Francis is named for the
St. Francis River .
St. Johns County, Florida : St. Johns is named for the
St. Johns River .
St. Joseph County, Indiana : St. Joseph is named for the
St. Joseph River .
St. Joseph County, Michigan : St. Joseph is named for the
St. Joseph River
St. Lawrence County, New York : St. Lawrence is named for the
St. Lawrence River .
St. Louis County, Minnesota : St. Louis is named after the
St. Louis River .
Stillwater County, Montana : Stillwater is named for the
Stillwater River , named for its very slow current.
Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania named after the
Susquehanna River .
Suwannee County, Florida : Suwannee is named for the
Suwannee River , the same river made famous by
Stephen Foster in his song
Old Folks at Home .
Sweetwater County, Wyoming : Sweetwater is named for the
Sweetwater River . T V W Y Counties possibly named for rivers Counties indirectly named for rivers
Aroostook County, Maine : Aroostook is named for a
Native American word meaning beautiful river .
Canyon County, Idaho : Canyon is named after either the
Boise River or
Snake River
canyons .
Coös County, New Hampshire : Coös is named for a
Native American word meaning crooked , in reference to a bend in the
Connecticut River .
Crow Wing County, Minnesota : Crow Wing is named after an island shaped like a
raven 's wing at the junction of the
Crow Wing River and
Mississippi River .
Huerfano County, Colorado : Huerfano is named for
Huerfano Butte , as was the
Huerfano River . Huerfano is orphan in
Spanish .
Merced County, California : Merced is named for the
Spanish word for mercy , and was named by Spanish explorers in gratitude for water of the
Merced River , which was found after a dry 40-mile trek.
Muskingum County, Ohio : Muskingum is a
Delaware word meaning by the river side .
Riverside County, California : Riverside is named for the city of
Riverside , the
county seat , which in turn was named for its location beside the
Santa Ana River .
Sagadahoc County, Maine : Sagadahoc is named for a
Native American word meaning mouth of big river .
Twin Falls County, Idaho : Twin Falls is named after the double falls along the
Snake River .
Yellowstone County, Montana : Yellowstone is named for the yellow rocks found along what is now known as the
Yellowstone River . See also
General Demographics Economy Geography Name origins See also
