This is a list of U.S. county name etymologies, covering the letters E to I.
E
County name State Name originEagle County Colorado The Eagle River, which runs through the countyEarly County Georgia Peter Early, Governor of Georgia from 1813 to 1815, Superior Court Judge, and U.S. CongressmanEast Baton Rouge Parish Louisiana Named for the largest city therein and the state capital, Baton Rouge, which itself comes from the French Baton Rouge, meaning "red stick". Records of Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville describe large reddened poles erected by Indians with fish and bear heads attached in sacrifice. These may have designated boundaries separating the hunting grounds of the Bayou Goula and the Houma tribes.East Carroll Parish Louisiana Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the U.S. Declaration of IndependenceEast Feliciana Parish Louisiana Either from Spanish feliciana, meaning "happy land", or from "Felicite", the wife of Bernardo de Gálvez, a governor of Spanish Louisiana (1777–1783)Eastland County Texas William Mosby Eastland, a soldier during the Texas Revolution and the only officer to die as a result of the so-called "Black Bean" executions following the Mier expeditionEaton County Michigan John Eaton (1790–1856), Secretary of War under President Andrew JacksonEau Claire County Wisconsin From the Eau Claire River, French for "clear water." Echols County Georgia Robert Milner Echols, a member of the Georgia General Assembly for 24 years and a Georgia State Senate President, who died serving as a brigadier general during the Mexican–American WarEctor County Texas Mathew Ector, a Confederate general in the American Civil WarEddy County New Mexico Charles B. Eddy, the first cattleman in the areaEddy County North Dakota Ezra B. Eddy, a Fargo bankerEdgar County Illinois John Edgar (c. 1750 – 1832), Illinois delegate to the Northwest Territory legislature and at the time the wealthiest man in IllinoisEdgecombe County North Carolina From Richard Edgcumbe, 1st Baron Edgcumbe, 18th century English politician.Edgefield County South Carolina Uncertain origin, there are many theories.Edmonson County Kentucky John Edmonson (1764–1813), a military captain killed at the Battle of River RaisinEdmunds County South Dakota Governor of Dakota territory Newton EdmundsEdwards County Illinois Ninian Edwards (1775–1833), third Governor of the State of Illinois and only governor of the Illinois TerritoryEdwards County Kansas John H. Edwards, Kansas State SenatorEdwards County Texas Haden Harrison Edwards, an early settlerEffingham County Georgia Thomas Howard, 3rd Earl of Effingham (1746–1791), who was sympathetic to the independence movement and refused to take up arms against the revolutionariesEffingham County Illinois Either for Thomas Howard, 3rd Earl of Effingham (1746–1791), who was sympathetic to the independence movement and refused to take up arms against the revolutionaries, or for a local surveyor whose last name was EffinghamEl Dorado County California From the mythical El Dorado, "The Gilded One", in relation to the county's importance during the California Gold RushEl Paso County Colorado Named for Ute Pass, an important mountain pass through the Front Range which was known to early Spanish settlers as El Paso or "The Pass"El Paso County Texas Short for El Paso del Norte, which is Spanish for "The Pass of the North". It is named for the pass the Rio Grande creates through the mountains on either side of the river. Elbert County Colorado Samuel Hitt Elbert, 6th Territorial Governor of Colorado (1873–1874)Elbert County Georgia Samuel Elbert (1740–1788), a Revolutionary War hero and an early governor of GeorgiaElk County Kansas The Elk RiverElk County Pennsylvania The eastern elk, a subspecies of elk that was formerly native to Pennsylvania but has been extinct since 1877Elkhart County Indiana The Elkhart Native American peopleElko County Nevada From Elko, Nevada, of uncertain origin; possibly created by Charles Crocker who added an "-o" to "Elk."Elliott County Kentucky Either John Lisle Elliott or John Milton Elliott (1820–1885), legislators from KentuckyEllis County Kansas George EllisEllis County Oklahoma Abraham H. Ellis, a member of the Constitutional ConventionEllis County Texas Richard Ellis, president of the convention that produced the Texas Declaration of IndependenceEllsworth County Kansas Fort EllsworthElmore County Alabama John Archer Elmore (1762–1834), a Revolutionary War veteranElmore County Idaho The Ida Elmore mines, locally noted for gold and silver production in the 1860sEmanuel County Georgia David Emanuel, 24th Governor of Georgia (1801)Emery County Utah George W. Emery, 11th Governor of the Utah Territory (1875–1880)Emmett County Iowa Robert Emmet (1778–1803), an Irish nationalist and rebel leaderEmmet County Michigan Emmons County North Dakota James Emmons, a steamboat operator and early Bismarck merchant and entrepreneurCity of Emporia Virginia Named after Emporia, KansasErath County Texas George Bernard Erath, an early surveyor and a soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto during the Texas RevolutionErie County New York Lake Erie, named in turn after the Erie peopleErie County Ohio Erie County Pennsylvania Escambia County Alabama Escambia Creek, a tributary of the Conecuh RiverEscambia County Florida Unknown; most likely taken from a Native American wordEsmeralda County Nevada The Esmeralda Mining District, which an early Nevada miner, J.M. Corey, named after the gypsy dancer Esmeralda from Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Esmeralda is Spanish for "emerald".Essex County Massachusetts The English county of EssexEssex County New JerseyEssex County New YorkEssex County VirginiaEssex County Vermont Either the English county of Essex, or Essex County, New York (itself named after the English county)Estill County Kentucky James Estill (1750–1782), a military captain killed at the Battle of Little MountainEtowah County Alabama The Etowah Indian MoundsEureka County Nevada From the Greek word eureka meaning "I have found it"Evangeline Parish Louisiana Acadian heroine of the poem Evangeline by Henry Wadsworth LongfellowEvans County Georgia Clement A. Evans, a Confederate general who led the last charge of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox
F