List of counties of the United Kingdom facts for kids
The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Each of these countries uses areas called counties to help organize local government and for other important purposes.
Think of counties like different zones or districts within a country. Over time, how these counties are used has changed a lot. Sometimes they are for local councils that manage things like schools and roads. Other times, they are used for things like postal services or for special representatives of the King or Queen, called Lord Lieutenants.
This article will help you understand the different types of counties in the UK and how they are used today and how they have changed over time.
| Colour key in tables below |
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| Green: Current official status |
| Yellow: Historical or superseded status |
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Counties in England
England has many counties, and their roles have changed quite a bit over the years. Some counties are called ceremonial counties, which are used for things like the Lord Lieutenants, who represent the King or Queen in that area. Other counties are used for local government, helping to run services for people living there.
For example, some areas used to be part of larger counties like Cleveland or Humberside. These larger counties were later split into smaller areas called unitary authorities. A unitary authority is like a county council that also handles the jobs of smaller local councils, so it does everything in one go. Even though the old counties like Cleveland and Humberside don't exist for local government anymore, their names are still used for things like fire and police services.
Some old counties, like Yorkshire, Cumberland, Westmorland, Huntingdonshire, and Middlesex, are no longer used as ceremonial counties. Yorkshire, for instance, is now divided into several ceremonial areas like East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire.
The list below shows different types of counties in England and their status over time. Counties marked in italics are not ceremonial or historic counties today.
| County | Current Ceremonial County |
From 1974 | Postal 1974–1996 |
1889–1974 | Before 1889 | ||
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| Metropolitan | Non-metropolitan | County | Administrative | ||||
| Avon |  1974–1996 |
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| Bath and North East Somerset | UA 1996+ | ||||||
| Bedfordshire |  |
1974–2009 |
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| Bedford | UA 2009+ | ||||||
| Berkshire | |
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| Blackburn with Darwen | UA 1998+ | ||||||
| Blackpool | UA 1998+ | ||||||
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | UA 2019+ | ||||||
| Bournemouth | UA 1997–2019 | ||||||
| Brighton and Hove | UA 1997+ | ||||||
| Bristol | |
UA 1996+ | Special post town | |
County borough | County corporate | |
| Buckinghamshire | |
(and UA 2020+) |
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| Cambridgeshire | |
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1889–1965 |
1889–1965 |
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| Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely | 1965–1974 |
1965–1974 |
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| Central Bedfordshire | UA 2009+ | ||||||
| Cheshire | |
1974–2009 |
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| Cheshire East | UA 2009+ | ||||||
| Cheshire West and Chester | UA 2009+ | ||||||
| Cleveland | 1974–1996 |
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| Cornwall | |
(and UA 2009+) |
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| Cumberland | UA 2023+ | |
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| Cumbria | |
1974–2023 |
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| Darlington | UA 1997+ | ||||||
| Derbyshire | |
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| Derby | UA 1997+ | ||||||
| Devon | |
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| Dorset | |
(and UA 2019+) |
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| Durham (County Durham) | |
(and UA 2009+) |
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| East Suffolk | |
Division | |||||
| East Sussex | |
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| Essex | |
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| Gloucestershire | |
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| Greater London | |
County | |
1965–1974 |
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| Greater Manchester | |
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| Hampshire | |
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| Halton | UA 1998+ | ||||||
| Hartlepool | UA 1996+ | ||||||
| Hereford and Worcester | 1974–1998 |
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| Herefordshire | |
UA 1998+ | |
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| Hertfordshire | |
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| Humberside | 1974–1996 |
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| Huntingdon and Peterborough | 1965–1974 |
1965–1974 |
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| Huntingdonshire | 1889–1965 |
1889–1965 |
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| Isle of Ely | 1889–1965 |
Division | |||||
| Isle of Wight | |
(and UA 1995+) |
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1890–1974 |
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| Kent | |
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| Kingston upon Hull | UA 1996+ | ||||||
| Lancashire | |
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| Leicestershire | |
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| Leicester | UA 1997+ | ||||||
| Lincolnshire | |
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| Lincolnshire, Parts of Holland | |
Division | |||||
| Lincolnshire, Parts of Kesteven | |
Division | |||||
| Lincolnshire, Parts of Lindsey | |
Division | |||||
| London | Special post town | |
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The Metropolis | |||
| City of London | |
County corporate | |||||
| Luton | UA 1997+ | ||||||
| Medway | UA 1998+ | ||||||
| Merseyside | |
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| Middlesbrough | UA 1996+ | ||||||
| Middlesex | |
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| Milton Keynes | UA 1997+ | ||||||
| Norfolk | |
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| Northamptonshire | |
1974–2021 |
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| North East Lincolnshire | UA 1996+ | ||||||
| North Humberside | |
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| North Lincolnshire | UA 1996+ | ||||||
| North Northamptonshire | UA 2021+ | ||||||
| North Somerset | UA 1996+ | ||||||
| Northumberland | |
(and UA 2009+) |
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| North Yorkshire | |
(and UA 2023+) |
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| Nottinghamshire | |
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| Nottingham | UA 1998+ | ||||||
| Oxfordshire | |
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| Soke of Peterborough | 1889–1965 |
Liberty | |||||
| Peterborough | UA 1998+ | ||||||
| Plymouth | UA 1998+ | ||||||
| Poole | UA 1997–2019 | ||||||
| Portsmouth | UA 1997+ | ||||||
| Redcar and Cleveland | UA 1996+ | ||||||
| Rutland | |
UA 1997+ | 2008+ |
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| Shropshire | |
(and UA 2009+) |
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| Somerset | |
(and UA 2023+) |
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| Southampton | UA 1997+ | ||||||
| Southend-on-Sea | UA 1998+ | ||||||
| South Humberside | |
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| South Gloucestershire | UA 1996+ | ||||||
| South Yorkshire | |
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| Staffordshire | |
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| Stockton-on-Tees | UA 1996+ | ||||||
| Stoke-on-Trent | UA 1998+ | ||||||
| Suffolk | |
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| Surrey | |
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| Sussex | |
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| Swindon | UA 1998+ | ||||||
| Telford and Wrekin | UA 1998+ | ||||||
| Thurrock | UA 1998+ | ||||||
| Torbay | UA 1998+ | ||||||
| Tyne and Wear | |
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| Warrington | UA 1998+ | ||||||
| Warwickshire | |
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| West Midlands | |
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| Westmorland | |
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| Westmorland and Furness | UA 2023+ | ||||||
| West Northamptonshire | UA 2021+ | ||||||
| West Suffolk | |
Division | |||||
| West Sussex | |
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| West Yorkshire | |
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| Wiltshire | |
(and UA 2009+) |
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| Worcestershire | |
1998+ |
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| Yorkshire | |
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| Yorkshire, East Riding | |
UA 1996+ | L | |
Division | ||
| Yorkshire, North Riding | L | |
Division | ||||
| Yorkshire, West Riding | L | |
Division | ||||
| York | UA 1996+ | ||||||
Counties in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has six traditional counties: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone. These counties are still used today for things like Lord Lieutenants, who represent the King or Queen.
However, for local government, Northern Ireland is now divided into 11 larger districts, which were created in 2015. So, while the old county names are still recognized, the way local services are run has changed. The cities of Belfast and Derry are also important areas with their own special status.
| County | Current Lieutenancy |
Postal before 1996 |
1899–1973 | Before 1899 | |
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| County | Administrative | ||||
| Antrim | |
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| Armagh | |
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| City of Belfast | |
Special post town | CB |
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Part of counties Antrim and Down |
| Down | |
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| Fermanagh | |
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| Londonderry | |
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| City of Derry | |
Special post town | CB |
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Part of County Londonderry |
| Tyrone | |
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Counties in Scotland
In Scotland, counties have also changed over time. Today, the areas used for Lieutenancy (where the King's or Queen's representatives are based) are often still called by their historic county names.
For local government, Scotland now uses 32 different council areas, which are different from the traditional counties. However, the historic county names are still important for things like land registration and for understanding the geography of Scotland.
| County | Lieutenancy | Registration | Postal before 1996 |
1890–1975 | Before 1890 |
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| City of Aberdeen | |
Special post town | 1900 |
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| Aberdeenshire | |
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| Angus (Forfarshire) | |
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| Argyll | |
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| Ayrshire | |
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| Banffshire | |
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| Berwickshire | |
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| Bute | |
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| Caithness | |
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| Clackmannanshire | |
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| Cromartyshire | |
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| Dumfriesshire | |
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| Dunbartonshire (Dumbarton) | |
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| City of Dundee | |
Special post town | 1894 |
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| East Lothian (Haddingtonshire) | |
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| City of Edinburgh | |
Special post town | |
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| Fife | |
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| City of Glasgow | |
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Special post town | 1893 |
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| Inverness-shire | |
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| Kincardineshire | |
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| Kinross-shire | |
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| Kirkcudbrightshire | |
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| Lanarkshire | |
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| Midlothian (County of Edinburgh) | |
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| Moray (Elginshire) | |
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| Nairnshire | |
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| Orkney | |
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| Peeblesshire | |
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| Perthshire | |
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| Renfrewshire | |
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| Ross and Cromarty | |
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| Ross-shire | |
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| Roxburghshire | |
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| Selkirkshire | |
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| Shetland (Zetland) | |
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| Stirlingshire | |
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| Sutherland | |
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| West Lothian (Linlithgowshire) | |
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| Wigtownshire | |
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Counties in Wales
Wales also has a history of counties that have changed over time. Today, Wales uses a system of principal areas for local government, which are either called "counties" or "county boroughs." These areas handle services like education and social care.
There are also "preserved counties" in Wales. These are based on the old counties from 1974 to 1996 and are mainly used for ceremonial purposes, like for the Lord Lieutenants. This means that while the names might be familiar, their exact purpose has changed.
| County | 1996+ | Postal 1974–1996 |
1974–1996 | 1889–1974 | Before 1889 | |
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| Preserved | County | |||||
| Anglesey | Isle of Anglesey |
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| Brecknockshire | |
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| Caernarfonshire | |
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| Cardiganshire | Ceredigion |
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| Carmarthenshire | |
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| Clwyd | |
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| Denbighshire | |
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| Dyfed | |
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| Flintshire | |
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| Glamorgan | |
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| Gwent | |
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| Gwynedd | |
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| Merionethshire | |
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| Mid Glamorgan | |
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| Monmouthshire | |
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| Montgomeryshire | |
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| Pembrokeshire | |
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| Powys | |
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| Radnorshire | |
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| South Glamorgan | |
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| West Glamorgan | |
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| Wrexham | |
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See also
- Where UK County Names Come From
- Fun Nicknames for UK Counties
- Counties of Ireland
- Postal Address Information
