This is a list of U.S. county name etymologies, covering the letters A to D.
A County name State Name originAbbeville County South Carolina The French town of AbbevilleAcadia Parish Louisiana The French colonial region of AcadiaAccomack 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 BoiseAdair County Iowa John Adair, a general in the War of 1812 and the eighth governor of KentuckyAdair County KentuckyAdair County MissouriAdair County Oklahoma The Adair family of the Cherokee tribeAdams County Colorado Alva Adams, the fifth governor of ColoradoAdams County Idaho John Adams, the second president of the United StatesAdams County Iowa Adams County MississippiAdams County NebraskaAdams County OhioAdams County PennsylvaniaAdams County Washington Adams CountyIllinoisJohn Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United StatesAdams CountyIndianaAdams CountyWisconsinAdams 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 DakotaAddison County Vermont Joseph Addison, the English writer and politicianAiken County South Carolina William Aiken, the first president of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road CompanyAitkin 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 creekAlameda 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 accessionAlbany County Wyoming The city of Albany, New YorkAlbemarle 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 excellentAlcorn County Mississippi James Lusk Alcorn, the twenty-eighth governor of MississippiAleutians 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 countyAlexander County North Carolina The Alexander family, of whom several members were leaders in colonial North CarolinaAlexandria Virginia John Alexander, the original owner of the land that the town is located on, and his familyAlfalfa County Oklahoma William Henry David "Alfalfa Bill" Murray, the ninth governor of OklahomaAlger County Michigan Russell Alexander Alger, the twentieth governor of MichiganAllamakee County Iowa Either Allan Makee, a trapper and trader, or an uncertain Native American originAllegan 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 YorkAlleghany County North CarolinaAlleghany 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 1812Allen County KentuckyAllen County OhioAllen County Kansas William Allen, a United States senator from OhioAllen Parish Louisiana Henry Watkins Allen, the nineteenth governor of LouisianaAllendale County South Carolina The Allens family of the area, of which one member, Paul H. Allens, was the county seat's first postmasterAlpena 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 birdAlpine County California Its location high in the Sierra Nevada mountainsAmador 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 IIAmherst County Virginia Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, a colonial governor of Virginia and general in the French and Indian WarAmite County Mississippi The Amite River, which is located in the countyAnchorage Alaska Named for the fact that Cook Inlet, which Anchorage is located on, once was a popular anchorage for shipsAnderson County Kansas Joseph C. Anderson, a Kansas territorial legislatorAnderson 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 WarAnderson 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, MissouriAndrew County Texas Richard Andrews, the first Texan soldier to die in the Texas Revolution Androscoggin County Maine The Androscoggin Native American tribeAngelina County Texas A Hainai Native American woman who assisted early Spanish missionaries and was named Angelina by themAnne 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 sidesAnson County North Carolina George Anson, 1st Baron Anson, a British admiral assigned to defend North Carolina's shipping from piratesAntelope County Nebraska The pronghorn antelope in the area Antrim County Michigan County Antrim in IrelandApache County Arizona The Apache Native American tribeAppanoose County Iowa Appanoose, a chief of the Sac and Fox Native American tribes who headed the peace party during the Black Hawk WarAppling County Georgia Daniel Appling, a soldier in the War of 1812Appomattox County Virginia The Appomattox River, in turn named for the Appamatucks Native American tribeAransas County Texas The Rio Nuestra Senora de Aranzazu, a Spanish outpost in early TexasArapahoe County Colorado The Arapaho Native American tribeArcher County Texas Branch Tanner Archer, a commissioner for the Republic of TexasArchuleta County Colorado Antonio D. Archuleta, a Colorado state senator and his father, José Manuel ArchuletaArenac 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 earthArkansas County Arkansas The Arkansa Native American tribeArlington 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 PennsylvaniaArmstrong County Texas Any one of several Texas pioneer familiesAroostook County Maine A Miꞌkmaq word meaning beautiful riverArthur County Nebraska Chester A. Arthur, the twenty-first president of the United StatesAscension Parish Louisiana A colonial ecclesiastical district in the areaAshe County North Carolina Samuel Ashe, the ninth governor of North CarolinaAshland County Ohio Ashland, the farm and mansion of Henry Clay at Lexington, KentuckyAshland County Wisconsin Ashley County Arkansas Chester Ashley, a U.S. Senator from ArkansasAshtabula 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 placeAsotin County Washington The Nez Percé Native American name for Eel CreekAssumption Parish Louisiana A colonial ecclesiastical district in the areaAtascosa County Texas The Spanish word for boggyAtchison County Kansas David Rice Atchison, a U.S. senator from MissouriAtchison County MissouriAthens County Ohio Athens, Greece, as the county was the location of the state universityAtkinson County Georgia William Yates Atkinson, the fifty-eighth governor of GeorgiaAtlantic County New Jersey The Atlantic Ocean, on the shores of which the county is locatedAtoka County Oklahoma Its county seat of Atoka, named in turn for Atoka, a Choctaw leaderAttala County Mississippi Attala, a fictional Native American heroineAudrain County Missouri James H. Audrain, a Missouri state legislatorAudubon 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 IIIAurora 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 TexasAutauga County Alabama The Atauga village of Atagi ("pure water"), which was located at the confluence of Autauga Creek and the Alabama RiverAvery County North Carolina Waightstill Avery, a Revolutionary War colonel and attorney general of the state of North CarolinaAvoyelles Parish Louisiana The Avoyel Native American tribe
B