Counties in the United States of America form the second-level administrative subdivisions after the 50 states and Washington, D.C., which is a city that is not in any other subdivision. For most states, counties represent a legitimate second level of government but some use them purely for statistical or administrative purposes with no incorporated government of the county. Presently, there are 3,144 counties or county equivalents in America. Most are named "[X] County" but in Louisiana a completely identical scheme exists for parishes that has evolved from French colonization (cf. Fayette County with Fayette Parish) and Alaska has a unique system of boroughs which are census-designated places used for statistical purposes—the Unorganized Borough is made of all non-continuous territory that is not part of another borough. Note that this list also includes historical counties which no longer exist or which merged into other states (e.g. due to Kentucky and West Virginia splitting from Virginia).
| County or equivalent
|
State, district, or territory
|
Etymology
|
| Abbeville County
|
South Carolina
|
Abbeville, France
|
| Acadia Parish
|
Louisiana
|
Acadia French province in Canada
|
| Accomack County
|
Virginia
|
Accawmack Native American people
|
| Ada County
|
Idaho
|
Ada Riggs, first pioneer child born in county
|
| Adair County
|
Iowa
|
John Adair, general of the War of 1812
|
| Kentucky
|
| Missouri
|
| Oklahoma
|
The Adair family of the Cherokee tribe.
|
| Adams County
|
Colorado
|
Alva Adams
|
| Idaho
|
John Adams
|
| Illinois
|
John Quincy Adams, president
|
| Indiana
|
| Iowa
|
John Adams or John Quincy Adams
|
| Mississippi
|
John Adams
|
| Nebraska
|
| North Dakota
|
John Quincy Adams, a railroad official
|
| Ohio
|
John Adams
|
| Pennsylvania
|
| Washington
|
| Wisconsin
|
John Adams or John Quincy Adams
|
| Addison County
|
Vermont
|
town of Addison, named after Joseph Addison
|
| Alachua County
|
Florida
|
from the Timucua language
|
| Alameda County
|
California
|
Rancho Arroyo de la Alameda
|
| Albemarle County
|
Virginia
|
Earl of Albemarle
|
| Alcorn County
|
Mississippi
|
James L. Alcorn
|
| Alger County
|
Michigan
|
Russell A. Alger
|
| Allegany County
|
Maryland
|
| New York
|
| Allegheny County
|
Pennsylvania
|
Allegheny River
|
| Allen County
|
Indiana
|
John Allen
|
| Kansas
|
William Allen
|
| Kentucky
|
John Allen
|
| Ohio
|
| Allen Parish
|
Louisiana
|
Henry Watkins Allen
|
| Alpine County
|
California
|
Resemblance to the Swiss Alps
|
| Anderson County
|
Kansas
|
Joseph C. Anderson
|
| Kentucky
|
Richard Clough Anderson, Jr.
|
| South Carolina
|
Robert Anderson
|
| Tennessee
|
Joseph Anderson
|
| Texas
|
Kenneth Lewis Anderson
|
| Anoka County
|
Minnesota
|
| Arkansas County
|
Arkansas
|
Arkansas tribe
|
| Arlington County
|
Virginia
|
Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington
|
| Armstrong County
|
Pennsylvania
|
John Armstrong, Sr.
|
| Texas
|
after a pioneer family
|
| Aroostook County
|
Maine
|
Indian word meaning "beautiful river"
|
| Ascension Parish
|
Louisiana
|
| Ashland County
|
Ohio
|
Ashland (Henry Clay estate)
|
| Wisconsin
|
| Ashtabula County
|
Ohio
|
Lenape language ashtepihële
|
| Atchison County
|
Kansas
|
David Rice Atchison
|
| Missouri
|
| Atlantic County
|
New Jersey
|
(presumably) Atlantic Ocean
|
| Attala County
|
Mississippi
|
Atala, fictional Native American heroine
|
| Audrain County
|
Missouri
|
James Hunter Audrain
|
| Augusta County
|
Virginia
|
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
|
| Aurora County
|
South Dakota
|
Aurora, Roman goddess
|
| Autauga County
|
Alabama
|
Autauga Native American people
|
| Avery County
|
North Carolina
|
Waightstill Avery
|
| Dade County
|
Florida
|
Renamed Miami-Dade County in 1997
|
| Georgia
|
Francis L. Dade
|
| Missouri
|
| Shannon County
|
Missouri
|
George Shannon
|
| South Dakota
|
Renamed Oglala Lakota County in 2015
|
