List of U.S. counties named after rivers

This is a list of U.S. counties that are named for rivers and streams.

A

 * Alamance County, North Carolina: Alamance is named for Great Alamance Creek.
 * Allegany County, New York: Allegany is a variant spelling of the Allegheny River.
 * Alleghany County, North Carolina: Alleghany is a corruption of the Native American Delaware tribe's word for the Allegheny River, which is said to have meant a fine stream.
 * Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: Allegheny is a corruption of the Native American Delaware tribe's word for the Allegheny River, which is said to have meant a fine stream.
 * Amite County, Mississippi: Amite County is named for the Amite River.
 * Appomattox County, Virginia: Appomattox is named for the Appomattox River, which is in turn named for the Appamatucks Native American people.
 * Aroostook County, Maine: named for the Aroostook River.
 * Ashtabula County, Ohio: Ashtabula was named for the Ashtabula River.
 * Asotin County, Washington: Asotin is named for the Nez Percé name for Eel Creek.
 * Auglaize County, Ohio: Auglaize is named for the Auglaize River.

B

 * Beaver County, Oklahoma: Beaver is named for its county seat of Beaver, Oklahoma and the Beaver River, which flows through the county.
 * Beaver County, Pennsylvania: named for the Beaver River (Pennsylvania)}Beaver River./
 * Benzie County, Michigan is an Americanization of the French name, Riviere Aux-Bec-Scies, for the local river.
 * Blanco County, Texas: Blanco is named for the Blanco River. Blanco means white in the Spanish language.
 * Boise County, Idaho: Boise is named after the Boise River. Boise is French for "timber".
 * 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 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:Cattargus County is named for Cattaraugus Creek
 * Cedar County, Iowa: Cedar is named for the Cedar River.
 * Chariton County, Missouri: Chariton is named from the Chariton River.
 * Chattahoochee County, Georgia: Chattahoochee is named for the Chattahoochee River of Georgia, which also forms part of the Alabama-Georgia state line.
 * Chattooga County, Georgia: Chattooga is named for the Chattooga River in northeast Georgia.
 * Cheboygan County, Michigan is named for the Cheboygan River, which was itself a Native American name.
 * Chippewa County, Minnesota is named after the Chippewa River, which flows through the county.
 * Clarion County, Pennsylvania is named for the Clarion River.
 * 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 is named after the Clearwater River and Clearwater Lake, which are both located within the county.
 * Colorado County, Texas: Colorado is named for the Colorado River.
 * Columbia County, Oregon: Named for the Columbia River which it borders.
 * Columbia County, Washington: Columbia is named for the Columbia River.
 * Coosa County, Alabama: Named for the Coosa River of Alabama & Georgia
 * Cottonwood County, Minnesota is named after the Cottonwood River, which flows through the county.
 * 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

 * Delaware County, Pennsylvania: named for the Delaware River.
 * 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, originally Rio de Nuestra Senora de los Dolores, or, in English, "River of our Lady of Sorrows".
 * DuPage County, Illinois 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, a previous name for the James River. Fluvanna is Latin for Anne's River 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, later renamed the Colorado River.
 * Grand County, Utah: Grand is named for the Grand River, 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), which in turn is named after Wills Hill, Viscount Hillsborough, a British politician during the period of the American Revolutionary War who ordered the mapping of the river's course.
 * Hocking County, Ohio: Hocking is named for the Hocking River.
 * Hood River County, Oregon: Named for the Hood River, a river in the county.
 * Humboldt County, Nevada: Humboldt is named for the Humboldt River, named in turn for Friedrich Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt, the famous German scientist, explorer and statesman.
 * Hudson County, New Jersey: Hudson is named for the Hudson River, which in turn is named after Henry Hudson.

I

 * Indian River County, Florida: Indian River is named for the Indian River, which is not a real river, but rather is a long, narrow saltwater lagoon between the mainland and the barrier islands.
 * Iowa County, Iowa: Iowa is named for the Iowa River and the Iowa Native American tribe.

J

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

K

 * Kalamazoo County, Michigan is named for the Kalamazoo River. Kalamazoo is an Anglicized Native American word which 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 Ojibwa for 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, which is named in turn for Edward M. Kern, a topographer who accompanied John C. Frémont on an early expedition through the state.
 * Keya Paha County, Nebraska: Keya Paha is named for the Dakota words Ké-ya Pa-há Wa-kpá, which, translated, mean Turtle Hill River.
 * Kings County, California: Kings is named for the Kings River.
 * Koochiching County, Minnesota is named after a Cree word of uncertain meaning given by Ojibwas to Rainy River.

L

 * Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania: Lackawanna is named after the Lackawanna River.
 * Las Animas County, Colorado: Las Animas is named for the Las Animas River, originally El Rio de las Animas Perdidas en Purgatorio, or, in English, "River of the Souls Lost in Purgatory".
 * Latah County, Idaho: Latah is named after Latah Creek.
 * Lehigh County, Pennsylvania: Lehigh is named after the Lehigh River; a tributary of the Delaware River.
 * Limestone County, Alabama: Limestone is named for Limestone Creek, which runs through the county and has a bed of limestone.
 * Little River County, Arkansas: Little River is named for the Little River.
 * Loup County, Nebraska: Loup is named for the Loup River.
 * Lycoming County, Pennsylvania: named for Lycoming Creek.

M

 * Mahoning County, Ohio: Mahoning is named for the Mahoning River.
 * Malheur County, Oregon: Malheur is named for the Malheur River.
 * Manistee County, Michigan was named for the Manistee River, which in turn had Native American name meaning river at whose mouth there are islands.
 * Maries County, Missouri: Maries is named 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 named after the Mississippi River.
 * Moniteau County, Missouri: Montineau is named after Moniteau Creek.
 * Monongalia County, West Virginia: Monongalia is named for the Monongahela River.
 * Muskegon County, Michigan is named for the Muskegon River, named for the Ojibwa language word meaning swamp or marsh.
 * Musselshell County, Montana: Musselshell is named for the Musselshell River, named in turn by the Lewis and Clark Expedition presumably due to mussels found on its banks.

N

 * Nemaha County, Kansas: Nemaha is named for the Nemaha River.
 * Nemaha County, Nebraska: Nemaha is named for Nimaha, the Oto name meaning miry water for a stream which crossed the county and emptied 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 Omaha for flat or broad river.
 * Nodaway County, Missouri: Nodaway is named from the Nodaway River. Nodaway is a Potawatomi word meaning placid.

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: Also named for the Ohio River. When the county was formed, the river formed its northern boundary, but no longer does after several new counties were carved from it.
 * Ohio County, West Virginia: Also named for the Ohio River.
 * Ontonagon County, Michigan is named for a river called Nantounagon on an early 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 for its long sandbar shaped 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: named for the Ouachita River

P

 * Payette County, Idaho: Payette is named after the Payette River, which, in turn, is named for explorer Francois Payette.
 * Pearl River County, Mississippi: Named for the Pearl River, obviously
 * Pecos County, Texas: Pecos [pey-kuhs] is named after the Pecos River. The name "Pecos" derives from the Keresan (Native American language) term for the Pecos Pueblo, [p'æyok'ona].
 * Platte County, Nebraska: Platte is named for the Platte River.
 * Platte County, Wyoming: Platte is named for the North Platte River. Platte is French for flat.
 * Plumas County, California: Plumas is named for 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, which in turn was named for gunpowder-like sand along its banks.

R

 * Racine County, Wisconsin: Racine is named for the Root River, racine being the French word for root.
 * Rappahannock County, Virginia: Rappahannock is named for the Rappahannock River, named in turn for the Rappahannock Native American people.
 * Red Lake County, Minnesota: Red Lake County is named after the Red Lake River, named by the Ojibwa for its reddish sand and water.
 * Red River County, Texas: Red River is named for the Red River.
 * Red River Parish, Louisiana: 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, which in turn was named for the Pawnee Republic which once existed near the river.
 * Rio Arriba County, New Mexico: Rio Arriba is named for its location on the upper Rio Grande. (Rio Arriba is "upper river" in Spanish.)
 * Rio Blanco County, Colorado: Rio Blanco is named for Rio Blanco, or, in English, the White River.
 * 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 the Roseau Lake and Roseau River.
 * Rosebud County, Montana: Rosebud is named for the Rosebud River, which was named for the many wild roses along the banks of the river.

S

 * Sacramento County, California: Named for the Sacramento River
 * Saline County, Arkansas: Named for the Saline River.
 * Saline County, Illinois: Named for the Saline River.
 * Saline County, Kansas: Named for the Saline River.
 * San Benito County, California: Named for San Benito Creek.
 * San Juan County, Colorado: Named for the San Juan River and San Juan Mountains.
 * San Juan County, New Mexico: Named for the San Juan River.
 * San Miguel County, Colorado: Named for the San Miguel River.
 * Santa Cruz County, Arizona: Named for the Santa Cruz River.
 * Sangamon County, Illinois Named for the Sangamon River.
 * Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania: named for the Schuylkill River.
 * Scioto County, Ohio: Named for the Scioto River.
 * Sevier County, Utah: Named for the Sevier River.
 * Shenandoah County, Virginia: Named for the Shenandoah River; Shenandoah is a Native American term meaning beautiful daughter of the stars.
 * Shiawassee County, Michigan: Shiawassee is named for the Shiawassee River.
 * St. Francis County, Arkansas: St. Francis is named for the St. Francis River.
 * St. Johns County, Florida: St. Johns is named for the St. Johns River.
 * St. Joseph County, Indiana: St. Joseph is named for the St. Joseph River.
 * St. Joseph County, Michigan: St. Joseph is named for the St. Joseph River
 * St. Lawrence County, New York: St. Lawrence is named for the St. Lawrence River.
 * St. Louis County, Minnesota: St. Louis is named after the St. Louis River.
 * Stillwater County, Montana: Stillwater is named for the Stillwater River, named for its very slow current.
 * Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania named after the Susquehanna River.
 * Suwannee County, Florida: Suwannee is named for the Suwannee River, the same river made famous by Stephen Foster in his song Old Folks at Home.
 * Sweetwater County, Wyoming: Sweetwater is named for the Sweetwater River.

T

 * Tallapoosa County, Alabama: Named for the Tallapoosa River. Tallapoosa is believed to be a Choctaw word meaning pulverized rock.
 * Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana: Named for the Tangipahoa River
 * Tensas Parish, Louisiana: Named for the Tensas River
 * Tioga County, Pennsylvania: Named for the Tioga River
 * Tippecanoe County, Indiana: Tippecanoe is named for the Tippecanoe River and the Battle of Tippecanoe.
 * Tuscaloosa County, Alabama: Tuscaloosa was a Native American name for the Black Warrior River.
 * Tuscarawas County, Ohio: Tuscarawas is named for the Tuscarawas River.

V

 * Vermilion County, Illinois: Vermilion is named for both the Vermilion River and the Little Vermilion River.

W

 * Wabash County, Indiana: Wabash is named for the Wabash River.
 * Wabash County, Illinois: Wabash is named for the Wabash River.
 * Wicomico County, Maryland: Wicomico is named for the Wicomico River. In Lenape, wicko mekee indicated a place where houses are built, possibly in reference 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 possibly named for rivers

 * 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

 * Aroostook County, Maine: Aroostook is named for a Native American word meaning beautiful river.
 * Canyon County, Idaho: Canyon is named after either the Boise River or Snake River canyons.
 * Coös County, New Hampshire: Coös is named for a Native American word meaning crooked, in reference to a bend in the Connecticut River.
 * Crow Wing County, Minnesota: Crow Wing is named after an island shaped like a raven's wing at the junction of the Crow Wing River and Mississippi River.
 * Huerfano County, Colorado: Huerfano is named for Huerfano Butte, as was the Huerfano River. Huerfano is orphan in Spanish.
 * Merced County, California: Merced is named for the Spanish word for mercy, and was named by Spanish explorers in gratitude for water of the Merced River, which was found after a dry 40-mile trek.
 * Muskingum County, Ohio: Muskingum is a Delaware word meaning by the river side.
 * Riverside County, California: Riverside is named for the city of Riverside, the county seat, which in turn was named for its location beside 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 double falls along the Snake River.
 * Yellowstone County, Montana: Yellowstone is named for the yellow rocks found along what is now known as the Yellowstone River.