List of U.S. counties named after rivers facts for kids

Counties Named for Rivers: A-Z Guide
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Counties That Might Be Named for Rivers
Counties Indirectly Named for Rivers
See also

This article is a list of counties in the United States that are named after rivers and streams. It's interesting to see how many places get their names from the natural world around them!

Counties Named for Rivers: A-Z Guide

A

Alamance County, North Carolina: This county gets its name from Great Alamance Creek.
Allegany County, New York: The name "Allegany" is a different way to spell Allegheny River.
Alleghany County, North Carolina: "Alleghany" comes from a word used by the Delaware tribe, a group of Native American people. It meant "a fine stream," referring to the Allegheny River.
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: Like Alleghany, "Allegheny" also comes from the Delaware tribe's word for the Allegheny River, meaning "a fine stream."
Amite County, Mississippi: This county is named after the Amite River.
Appomattox County, Virginia: Appomattox is named for the Appomattox River. The river itself was named after the Appamatucks, a Native American group.
Aroostook County, Maine: This county is named for the Aroostook River.
Ashtabula County, Ohio: Ashtabula was named after the Ashtabula River.
Asotin County, Washington: "Asotin" comes from the Nez Percé name for Eel Creek.
Auglaize County, Ohio: Auglaize is named for the Auglaize River.

B

Beaver County, Oklahoma: Beaver County is named for its main town, Beaver, Oklahoma, and the Beaver River that flows through it.
Benzie County, Michigan: This name is an American version of the French name, Riviere Aux-Bec-Scies, which was given to a local river.
Blanco County, Texas: Blanco is named for the Blanco River. In Spanish, "Blanco" means "white."
Boise County, Idaho: Boise is named after the Boise River. "Boise" is a French word meaning "timber" or "wood."
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 also 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: This county is named for Cattaraugus Creek.
Cedar County, Iowa: Cedar is named for the Cedar River.
Chariton County, Missouri: Chariton gets its name from the Chariton River.
Chattahoochee County, Georgia: Chattahoochee is named for the Chattahoochee River of Georgia. This river also forms part of the border between Alabama and Georgia.
Chattooga County, Georgia: Chattooga is named for the Chattooga River in northeast Georgia.
Cheboygan County, Michigan: This county is named for the Cheboygan River. The river's name itself came from a Native American word.
Chippewa County, Minnesota: This county is named after the Chippewa River, which flows through it.
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: This county is named after the Clearwater River and Clearwater Lake, both found within the county.
Colorado County, Texas: Colorado is named for the Colorado River.
Columbia County, Oregon: Named for the Columbia River, which forms its border.
Columbia County, Washington: Columbia is named for the Columbia River.
Coosa County, Alabama: Named for the Coosa River, which flows through Alabama and Georgia.
Cottonwood County, Minnesota: This county is named after the Cottonwood River, which flows through it.
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

Des Moines County, Iowa: Des Moines is named for the Des Moines River.
Deschutes County, Oregon: Deschutes is named for the Deschutes River.
Dolores County, Colorado: Dolores is named for the Dolores River. Its original Spanish name was Rio de Nuestra Senora de los Dolores, which means "River of our Lady of Sorrows" in English.
DuPage County, Illinois: This county is named after the DuPage River.

E

Eagle County, Colorado: Eagle is named for the Eagle River.
Elk County, Kansas: Elk is named for the Elk River.
Escambia County, Florida: Escambia is named for the Escambia River.
Escambia County, Alabama: Escambia, AL is also named for the Escambia River.

F

Fluvanna County, Virginia: Fluvanna, VA is named for the Fluvanna River, which was an older name for the James River. "Fluvanna" is a Latin word meaning "Anne's River," named after Queen Anne of Great Britain.

G

Gila County, Arizona: Gila is named for the Gila River.
Grand County, Colorado: Grand is named for the Grand River, which was later renamed the Colorado River.
Grand County, Utah: Grand is also named for the Grand River, which was later renamed the Colorado River.
Greenbrier County, West Virginia: Greenbrier is named for the Greenbrier River.

H

Hillsborough County, Florida: Hillsborough is named for the Hillsborough River (Florida). The river itself was named after Wills Hill, Viscount Hillsborough, a British politician who ordered the river to be mapped during the time of the American Revolutionary War.
Hocking County, Ohio: Hocking is named for the Hocking River.
Hood River County, Oregon: Named for the Hood River, which flows through the county.
Humboldt County, Nevada: Humboldt is named for the Humboldt River. The river was named after Friedrich Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt, a famous German scientist and explorer.
Hudson County, New Jersey: Hudson is named for the Hudson River, which in turn was named after Henry Hudson, an explorer.

I

Indian River County, Florida: Indian River is named for the Indian River. This "river" is actually a long, narrow saltwater lagoon located between the mainland and the barrier islands.
Iowa County, Iowa: Iowa is named for both the Iowa River and the Iowa tribe, a Native American tribe.

J

Judith Basin County, Montana: Judith Basin is named for the Judith River.

K

Kalamazoo County, Michigan: This county is named for the Kalamazoo River. "Kalamazoo" is a Native American word that 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 an Ojibwa word meaning "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. The river was named for Edward M. Kern, a mapmaker who traveled with John C. Frémont on an early trip through the state.
Keya Paha County, Nebraska: Keya Paha comes from the Dakota words Ké-ya Pa-há Wa-kpá, which means Turtle Hill River.
Kings County, California: Kings is named for the Kings River.
Koochiching County, Minnesota: This county is named after a Cree word given by the Ojibwa people to the Rainy River. Its exact meaning is not certain.

L

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania: Lackawanna is named after the Lackawanna River.
Las Animas County, Colorado: Las Animas is named for the Las Animas River. Its original name was El Rio de las Animas Perdidas en Purgatorio, or "River of the Souls Lost in Purgatory" in English.
Latah County, Idaho: Latah is named after Latah Creek.
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania: Lehigh is named after the Lehigh River, which flows into the Delaware River.
Limestone County, Alabama: Limestone is named for Limestone Creek, which runs through the county and has a bed made of limestone rock.
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: This county was named for the Manistee River. The river's name came from a Native American word meaning "river at whose mouth there are islands."
Maries County, Missouri: Maries gets its name 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 also named after the Mississippi River.
Moniteau County, Missouri: Moniteau is named after Moniteau Creek.
Monongalia County, West Virginia: Monongalia is named for the Monongahela River.
Muskegon County, Michigan: This county is named for the Muskegon River. Its name comes from an Ojibwa word meaning "swamp" or "marsh."
Musselshell County, Montana: Musselshell is named for the Musselshell River. The Lewis and Clark Expedition likely named it because they found mussels along its banks.

N

Nemaha County, Kansas: Nemaha is named for the Nemaha River.
Nemaha County, Nebraska: Nemaha is named for Nimaha, an Oto name meaning "miry water" for a stream that flowed through the county into the Missouri River.
Neosho County, Kansas: Neosho is named for the Neosho River.
Niobrara County, Wyoming: Niobrara is named for the Niobrara River. "Niobrara" is an Omaha word meaning "flat or broad river."
Nodaway County, Missouri: Nodaway gets its name from the Nodaway River. "Nodaway" is a Potawatomi word meaning "placid" or "calm."

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: This county is also named for the Ohio River. When it was first formed, the river was its northern border.
Ohio County, West Virginia: This county is also named for the Ohio River.
Ontonagon County, Michigan: This county is named for a river called Nantounagon on an old 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 people because its long sandbar looked 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: This parish is also named for the Ouachita River.

P

Payette County, Idaho: Payette is named after the Payette River. The river, in turn, was named for explorer Francois Payette.
Pearl River County, Mississippi: This county is clearly named for the Pearl River.
Pecos County, Texas: Pecos is named after the Pecos River. The name "Pecos" comes from a Keresan (a Native American language) term for the Pecos Pueblo.
Platte County, Nebraska: Platte is named for the Platte River.
Platte County, Wyoming: Platte is named for the North Platte River. "Platte" is a French word meaning "flat."
Plumas County, California: Plumas is named for the 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. The river was named because of the gunpowder-like sand found along its banks.

R

Racine County, Wisconsin: Racine is named for the Root River. "Racine" is the French word for "root."
Rappahannock County, Virginia: Rappahannock is named for the Rappahannock River. The river was named after the Rappahannock, a Native American people.
Red Lake County, Minnesota: Red Lake County is named after the Red Lake River. The Ojibwa people named the river for its reddish sand and water.
Red River County, Texas: Red River is named for the Red River.
Red River Parish, Louisiana: This parish is also 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. The river was named after the Pawnee Republic, a Native American settlement that once existed near the river.
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico: Rio Arriba is named for its location on the upper part of the Rio Grande. "Rio Arriba" means "upper river" in Spanish.
Rio Blanco County, Colorado: Rio Blanco is named for Rio Blanco, which means the White River in English.
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 Roseau Lake and the Roseau River.
Rosebud County, Montana: Rosebud is named for the Rosebud River. The river was named because of the many wild roses growing along its banks.

W

Wabash County, Indiana: Wabash is named for the Wabash River.
Wabash County, Illinois: Wabash is also named for the Wabash River.
Wicomico County, Maryland: Wicomico is named for the Wicomico River. In the Lenape language, wicko mekee meant "a place where houses are built," possibly referring to a settlement.

Y

Yamhill County, Oregon: Yamhill is named after the Yamhill River.
Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota: Yellow Medicine County is named after the Yellow Medicine River, which flows through the county.

Counties That Might Be Named for Rivers

Sometimes, a county's name might come from a river, but it's not completely certain.

Cumberland County, Illinois: Cumberland is named for either the Cumberland River or the Cumberland Road.
San Juan County, Utah: San Juan is possibly named for the San Juan River.
Skamania County, Washington: Skamania is named for a Chinookan word meaning "swift water."

Counties Indirectly Named for Rivers

Some counties are named for something else that was, in turn, named for a river. It's like a chain reaction of names!

Aroostook County, Maine: Aroostook is named for a Native American word meaning "beautiful river."
Canyon County, Idaho: Canyon is named after the canyons of either the Boise River or the Snake River.
Coös County, New Hampshire: Coös is named for a Native American word meaning "crooked," which describes a bend in the Connecticut River.
Crow Wing County, Minnesota: Crow Wing is named after an island that looks like a raven's wing. This island is located where the Crow Wing River meets the Mississippi River.
Huerfano County, Colorado: Huerfano is named for Huerfano Butte, a hill, which was also what the Huerfano River was named after. "Huerfano" means "orphan" in Spanish.
Merced County, California: Merced is named for the Spanish word for "mercy." Spanish explorers named it this way because they were so grateful to find water in the Merced River after a long, dry journey.
Muskingum County, Ohio: "Muskingum" is a Delaware word meaning "by the river side."
Riverside County, California: Riverside is named for the city of Riverside, its main town. The city was named for its location next to 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 two waterfalls found along the Snake River.
Yellowstone County, Montana: Yellowstone is named for the yellow rocks found along what is now known as the Yellowstone River.

List of U.S. counties named after rivers facts for kids

Contents

Counties Named for Rivers: A-Z Guide

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

V

W

Y

Counties That Might Be Named for Rivers

Counties Indirectly Named for Rivers

See also