List of Idaho county name etymologies

This is a list of Idaho county name etymologies.

For an analysis of the county names, see Analysis of Idaho county namesakes.

*Ada County is named for Ada Riggs, the first pioneer child born in the area and the daughter of H. C. Riggs, a cofounder of Boise.
*Adams County is named for John Adams (1735-1826), President of the United States from 1797 to 1801.
*Bannock County is named for the Bannock Native American tribe.
*Bear Lake County is named for Bear Lake, which lies partly within the county and partly within Utah.
*Benewah County is named for a Coeur d'Alene Native American leader.
*Bingham County is named for Henry Harrison Bingham, a United States Representative from Pennsylvania and a friend of Idaho Territory Governor William M. Bunn.
*Blaine County is named for James Gillespie Blaine (1830-1893), United States Secretary of State in 1881 and 1889 to 1892 and the 1884 Republican nominee for President of the United States.
*Boise County is named for the Boise River, which empties into the Snake River in western Canyon County. "Boisé" is French for "wooded".
*Bonner County is named for Edwin L. Bonner, a pioneer ferry operator in the area.
*Bonneville County is named for Captain Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville, a French-born United States Army officer who explored the area in the 1830s.
*Boundary County is named for the fact that it borders Washington on the west, Montana on the east, and British Columbia, Canada, on the north.
*Butte County is named for the buttes that rise from the Snake River Plain, which served as landmarks to trappers and early explorers.
*Camas County is named for the camassia, a lily-like plant with an edible bulb, which is native to the area.
*Canyon County is named for a canyon in the area. Sources disagree whether the canyon is on the Boise River or the Snake River.
*Caribou County is named for the Caribou Mountains.
*Cassia County is named for Cassia Creek, which flows through the center of the county into the Raft River.
*Clark County is named for Sam K. Clark, an early member of the Idaho Legislature from the area.
*Clearwater County is named for the Clearwater River, which flows into the Snake River at Lewiston.
*Custer County is named for the General Custer mine, in turn named after General George Armstrong Custer.
*Elmore County is named for the Ida Elmore mines.
*Franklin County is named for Franklin, the first permanent town in the state, in turn named for Franklin Richards, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
*Fremont County is named for John Charles Frémont (1813-1890), a famous explorer and U.S. Senator.
*Gem County is named for the Idaho state nickname of "Gem State".
*Gooding County is named for Frank Robert Gooding (1859-1928), an Idaho governor and U.S. Senator in the early 20th Century.
*Idaho County is named for the steamer "Idaho", which was launched on the Columbia River in 1860. Originally a county in Washington Territory, the county's name predates both the State of Idaho and Idaho Territory. Some sources say the name derives from "ee-da-how", a word supposedly meaning "the sun comes from the mountains" in the Shoshone language. However, this explanation is now believed to be a hoax perpetrated by George M. Willing.
*Jefferson County is named for Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), President of the United States from 1801 to 1809.
*Jerome County is named for either Jerome Hill, Jerome Kuhn or Jerome Kuhn, Jr., three related local leaders important to the county.
*Kootenai County is named for the Kutenai Native American tribe.
*Latah County is named for Latah Creek, which in turn is named for a Nez Perce term for "the place of pine trees and sestle." An earlier county was named Lah-Toh County.
*Lemhi County is named for Fort Lemhi, a local mission and fort of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which in turn was named for King Lemhi, a figure in the Book of Mormon.
*Lewis County is named for Meriwether Lewis, a co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
*Lincoln County is named for Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), President of the United States from 1861 to 1865.
*Madison County is named for James Madison (1751-1836), President of the United States from 1809 to 1817.
*Minidoka County is named for a Dakota Sioux word for "a fountain or spring of water" [http://idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0034.pdf]
*Nez Perce County is named for the Nez Perce Native American tribe.
*Oneida County is named for the Oneida Lake area of New York from which many early settlers hailed.
*Owyhee County is named for the Kingdom of Hawaii. Hawaiian fur trappers had explored (and had been mysteriously killed in) the area around 1820.
*Payette County is named for the Payette River, which, in turn, is named for explorer Francois Payette.
*Power County is named for the American Falls Power Plant.
*Shoshone County is named for the Shoshone Native American tribe.
*Teton County is named for the Teton Range.
*Twin Falls County is named for a waterfall on the Snake River.
*Valley County is named for the area's Long Valley.
*Washington County is named for George Washington (1732-1799), President of the United States from 1789 to 1797.

ource

* [http://www.idaho.gov/aboutidaho/county/index.html Idaho Counties]

ee also

* Idaho
* County (United States)
* List of Idaho counties
* Lists of U.S. county name etymologies