- List of Colorado county name etymologies
*Adams County is named in honor of Alva Adams, the fifth Governor of the
State of Colorado .
*Alamosa County is named from a Spanish word meaning "cottonwood grove".
*Arapahoe County is named for its predecessor county,Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory , which in turn was named for theArapaho Native American tribe.
*Archuleta County is named in honor of Colorado State SenatorAntonio D. Archuleta .
*Baca County is named in honor of the prominent Baca family ofTrinidad, Colorado , members of which had settled early in the area.
*Bent County is named in honor of frontier traderWilliam Bent .
*Boulder County is named from the abundance of boulders in the area.
*The City and County of Broomfield is named for the quantity ofbroom corn which was grown nearby.
*Chaffee County is named in honor of Jerome Bunty Chaffee, a United States senator fromColorado .
*Cheyenne County is named for theCheyenne Native American tribe.
*Clear Creek County is named forClear Creek , which runs through the county.
*Conejos County is named from the Spanish word forrabbit s, ascottontail rabbit s are abundant in the area.
*Costilla County is named for theCostilla River .
*Crowley County is named in honor of Colorado State SenatorJohn H. Crowley .
*Custer County is named in honor ofGeorge Armstrong Custer , theU.S. Army Colonel defeated at theBattle of Little Bighorn .
*Delta County is named forDelta, Colorado , located at theUncompahgre River delta.
*The City and County of Denver is named in honor of James William Denver, Governor of theTerritory of Kansas from 1857 to 1859.
*Dolores County is named for theDolores River , originally "Rio de Nuestra Senora de los Dolores", or, in English, "River of our Lady of Sorrows".
*Douglas County is named in honor ofUnited States Senator Stephen Arnold Douglas.
*Eagle County is named for the Eagle River.
*El Paso County is named forUte Pass . "El paso" is Spanish for "the pass".
*Elbert County is named in honor ofSamuel Hitt Elbert , the sixth Governor of theTerritory of Colorado .
*Fremont County is named in honor of John Charles Frémont, the explorer and U.S. Senator.
*Garfield County is named in honor of James Abram Garfield, the twentiethPresident of the United States .
*Gilpin County is named in honor of William Gilpin, the first Governor of theTerritory of Colorado .
*Grand County is named for the Grand River, later renamed theColorado River .
*Gunnison County is named in honor of John Williams Gunnison, theU.S. Army captain who explored the region.
*Hinsdale County is named in honor ofGeorge Aaron Hinsdale , a lieutenant governor ofTerritory of Colorado .
*Huerfano County is named for theHuerfano River . "Huerfano" is "orphan" in Spanish.
*Jackson County is named in honor ofAndrew Jackson , the seventhPresident of the United States .
*Jefferson County is named for its extralegal predecessor county,Jefferson County, Jefferson Territory , which in turn was named in honor ofThomas Jefferson , the author of theDeclaration of Independence and the thirdPresident of the United States .
*Kiowa County is named for theKiowa Native American tribe.
*Kit Carson County is named in honor of Christopher Houston (Kit) Carson, the famous frontier scout and soldier.
*La Plata County is named from the Spanish word for "silver ". Deposits of that mineral were found in the area during the18th century .
*Lake County is named for theTwin Lakes within the county.
*Larimer County is named in honor ofWilliam Larimer , a pioneer.
*Las Animas County is named for theSpanish language name of theAnimas River , "Rio de las Animas Perdidas," meaning "River of the Souls in Purgatory."
*Lincoln County is named in honor ofAbraham Lincoln , the sixteenthPresident of the United States .
*Logan County is named in honor of John Alexander Logan, a general in theAmerican Civil War and United States Senator.
*Mesa County is named for themesa s which are widespread in the county.
*Mineral County is named from the significantmineral deposits found within the county.
*Moffat County was named in honor of railroad pioneerDavid H. Moffat .
*Montezuma County is named in honor ofMoctezuma II , the famousAztec leader at the time ofSpain 's conquest of theAztec Empire . Local ruins were originally thought to have been of Aztec origin.
*Montrose County is named for the City of Montrose, which in turn was named probably from the novel "A Legend of Montrose ", published in 1819 bySir Walter Scott .
*Morgan County is named for Fort Morgan, located in the present-day county.
*Otero County is named in honor of Miguel A. Otero of the prominent Otero family of the Southwest.
*Ouray County is named in honor ofOuray , a Ute Native American leader.
*Park County was named from the fact that the general region was called South Park by early explorers and fur trappers.
*Phillips County is named in honor ofR.O. Phillips , secretary of theLincoln Land Company .
*Pitkin County is named in honor ofFrederick Walker Pitkin , the second Governor of theState of Colorado .
*Prowers County is named in honor ofJohn W. Prowers , a pioneer of the lowerArkansas River valley.
*Pueblo County is named for "the pueblo" ("pueblo" is Spanish for "town" or "village") located on the site of the current town ofPueblo, Colorado .
*Rio Blanco County is named for Rio Blanco, or, in English, the White River.
*Rio Grande County is named for theRio Grande , which runs through the county.
*Routt County is named in honor ofJohn Long Routt , the first Governor of theState of Colorado .
*Saguache County is named from a Ute word meaning "blue earth" or "water at blue earth".
*San Juan County is named for the San Juan River andSan Juan Mountains .
*San Miguel County is named for theSan Miguel River .
*Sedgwick County is named forFort Sedgwick , which, in turn, was named forU.S. Army GeneralJohn Sedgwick .
*Summit County is named from the county's many mountains.
*Teller County is named in honor ofHenry Moore Teller ,United States Senator fromColorado andUnited States Secretary of the Interior .
*Washington County is named forGeorge Washington , the firstPresident of the United States .
*Weld County is named in honor ofLewis Ledyard Weld , the first Secretary of theTerritory of Colorado .
*Yuma County is named for theYuma Native American tribe.ee also
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Lists of U.S. county name etymologies
*Colorado counties
*County (United States)
*State of Colorado External links
* [http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/arcgov.html Colorado Government History]
* [http://www.kmitch.com/Pueblo/origins.html Pueblo County Presents: Colorado's Dates of Establishment and Origin of County Names]
* [http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sabthomp/colorado/broomfield/cobr.htm The Broomfield County Colorado Homepage]References
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