List of Virginia county name etymologies

This is a list of Virginia county name etymologies. It does not include etymologies for the independent cities of Virginia.

Alphabetical, by first letter

A

*Accomack County: Accomack is named for a Native American word decscribing the Eastern Shore as "accawmacke", or, in English, "across the water place".
*Albemarle County: Albemarle is named for Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle.
*Alleghany County: Alleghany is named for the Allegheny Mountains.
*Amelia County: Amelia is named for Princess Amelia Sophia of Great Britain, daughter of George II.
*Amherst County: Amherst is named for a colonial governor of Virginia, Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst.
*Appomattox County: Appomattox is named for the Appomattox River, which is in turn named for the Appamatucks Native American people.
*Arlington County: Arlington is named for the Arlington estate associated with the Washington, Custis and Lee families. The estate, in turn, was named for the "original" Arlington estate in Northampton County, Virginia established sometime before 1680, which was, in turn again, named for the Baron Arlington.
*Augusta County: Augusta is named for Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales and mother of George III of Great Britain.

B

*Bath County: Bath is either named for the many warm springs within its borders or for Bath, England.
*Bedford County: Bedford is probably named for John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, who handled Great Britain's colonial affairs as Secretary of State for the Southern Department from 1748 to 1751.
*Bland County: Bland is named for Virginia statesman and Founding Father Richard Bland.
*Botetourt County: Botetourt is named for Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt, a colonial governor of Virginia.
*Brunswick County: Brunswick is named for the former Duchy of Brunswick-Lunenburg in Germany, because one of the titles also carried by Britain's Hanoverian kings was Duke of Brunswick-Lunenburg.
*Buchanan County: Buchanan is named for U.S. president James Buchanan.
*Buckingham County: Buckingham was probably named for either the English county of Buckingham or for the Duke of Buckingham.

C

*Campbell County: Campbell is named for William Campbell, a militia general in the American Revolutionary War.
*Caroline County: Caroline is named for Caroline of Ansbach, wife of George II of Great Britain.
*Carroll County: Carroll is named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the United States Declaration of Independence.
*Charles City County: Charles City is named for Charles I of England.
*Charlotte County: Charlotte is named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of George III of Great Britain.
*Chesterfield County: Chesterfield is named for Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield.
*Clarke County: Clarke is named for George Rogers Clark, a Continental military leader of the American Revolutionary War.
*Craig County: Craig is named for Virginia state legislator and U.S. Congressman from Virginia Robert Craig.
*Culpeper County: Culpeper is named for either Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper of Thoresway, who was a colonial governor of Virginia or for his first wife Margaretta van Hesse, called "Margaret, Lady Colepeper", or for their daughter, Thomas's heir and only surviving issue, Catherine Colepeper. The family had significant land holdings on the Northern Neck and in the Shenandoah Valley, as well as family ties with Thomas Fairfax, 6th Baron Fairfax of Cameron.
*Cumberland County: Cumberland is named for Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, son of George II of Great Britain.

D

*Dickenson County: Dickenson is named for Virginia state legislator William J. Dickenson.
*Dinwiddie County: Dinwiddie is named for Robert Dinwiddie, a lieutenant governor of Virginia during the colonial era.

E

*Essex County: Essex is named for the English county of Essex.

F

*Fairfax County: Fairfax is named for Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron.
*Fauquier County: Fauquier is named for Francis Fauquier, a lieutenant governor of Virginia during the colonial era.
*Floyd County: Floyd is named for Governor of Virginia John Floyd.
*Fluvanna County: Fluvanna is named for an archaic term for the James River, "fluv anna" or "River of Anne".
*Franklin County: Franklin was named for American statesman Benjamin Franklin.
*Frederick County: Frederick is named for Frederick, Prince of Wales.

G

*Giles County: Giles is named for U.S. Senator from Virginia William Branch Giles.
*Gloucester County: Gloucester is either named for the English county of Gloucester or in honor of Henry, Duke of Gloucester, Charles I of England's son.
*Goochland County: Goochland is named for William Gooch, a lieutenant governor of Virginia during the colonial era.
*Grayson County: Grayson is named for American Revolutionary William Grayson.
*Greene County: Greene is named for American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene.
*Greensville County: Greensville is either named for Nathanael Greene or for Richard Grenville, leader of the lost Roanoke Colony.

H

*Halifax County: Halifax is named for George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax.
*Hanover County: Hanover is named for the Electorate of Hanover in Germany. George I was Elector of Hanover at the time when he also became King of England in 1714. In 1814, the Electorate of Hanover became a kingdom. Britain and Hanover remained in personal union through the reign of King William IV. (See House of Hanover.)
*Henrico County: Henrico is named for Henry, Prince of Wales, a son of James I of England.
*Henry County: Henry is named for American Revolutionary Patrick Henry.
*Highland County: Highland is named for the many mountains within its borders.

I

*Isle of Wight County: is named for the British island and county in the English Channel between three and five miles from the south coast of Great Britain, named Isle of Wight.

J

*James City County: James City is named for James I of England.

K

*King and Queen County: King and Queen is named for William and Mary.
*King George County: King George is named for George I of Great Britain.
*King William County: King William is named for William III of England, aka "William of Orange", aka one half of William and Mary.

L

*Lancaster County: Lancaster is named for Lancaster, England.
*Lee County: Lee is named for Governor of Virginia Light Horse Harry Lee.
*Loudoun County: Loudoun is named for John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun, a colonial governor of Virginia.
*Louisa County: Louisa is named for Princess Louise, daughter of George II of Great Britain.
*Lunenburg County: Lunenburg is named for the former Duchy of Brunswick-Lunenburg in Germany, because one of the titles also carried by Britain's Hanoverian kings was Duke of Brunswick-Lunenburg.

M

*Madison County: Madison is named for the family of U.S. president James Madison.
*Mathews County: Mathews is named for Virginia state legislator Thomas Mathews.
*Mecklenburg County: Charlotte is named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of George III of Great Britain.
*Middlesex County: Middlesex is probably named for the English county of Middlesex.
*Montgomery County: Montgomery is named for American Revolutionary War general Richard Montgomery.

N

*Nelson County: Nelson is named for Governor of Virginia Thomas Nelson, Jr..
*New Kent County: Kent is named for either the English county of Kent or for Kent Island in Chesapeake Bay.
*Northampton County: Northampton is probably named for the English county of Northampton.
*Northumberland County: Northumberland is probably named for the English county of Northumberland.
*Nottoway County: Nottway is named for the Nadowa Native American group.

O

*Orange County: Orange is named for William III of England, aka "William of Orange".

P

*Page County: Page is named for Governor of Virginia John Page.
*Patrick County: Patrick is named for American Revolutionary Patrick Henry.
*Pittsylvania County: Pitt is named for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham.
*Powhatan County: Powhatan is named for Wahunsunacock, called Powhatan.
*Prince Edward County: Prince Edward is named for Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of York and Albany (1739-1767) the younger brother of George III of Great Britain.
*Prince George County: Prince George is named for Prince George of Denmark.
*Prince William County Prince William is named for Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, son of George II of Great Britain.
*Pulaski County: Pulaski is named for Kazimierz Pulaski, Polish military strategist who assisted the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

R

*Rappahannock County: Rappahannock is named for the Rappahannock River, named in turn for the Rappahannock Native American people.
*Richmond County: Richmond is named for either Richmond borough of Surrey, England or for the Duke of Richmond, probably specifically Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and Lennox, an illegitimate son of Charles II.
*Roanoke County: Roanoke is named for the Roanoke River, from a Native American word meaning "shell money".
*Rockbridge County: Rockbridge is named for the Natural Bridge within the county.
*Rockingham County: Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, two-time Prime Minister of Great Britain who sided with the American colonists during the American Revolutionary War.
*Russell County: Russell is named for Virginia state legislator William Russell.

*Scott County: Scott is named for U.S. Gen. Winfield Scott.
*Shenandoah County: Shenandoah is named for the Shenandoah River, a Native American term meaning "beautiful daughter of the stars".
*Smyth County: Smyth is named for U.S. Congressman from Virginia Alexander Smyth.
*Southampton County: Southampton is named for either Southampton in England or Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, a treasurer of the London Company.
*Spotsylvania County: Spotsylvania is named for Alexander Spotswood, a lieutenant governor of Virginia during the colonial period.
*Stafford County: Stafford is named for Stafford in England.
*Surry County: Surry is named for the English county of Surrey.
*Sussex County: Sussex is named for the English county of Sussex.

T

*Tazewell County: Tazewell is named for U.S. Senator from Virginia Henry Tazewell.

W

*Warren County: Warren is named for American Revolutionary Joseph Warren.
*Washington County: Washington was the first county in the country named after U.S. president George Washington.
*Westmoreland County: Westmoreland is named for Westmorland in England.
*Wise County: Wise is named for Governor of Virginia, Henry Alexander Wise.
*Wythe County: Wythe is named for Founding Father George Wythe.

Y

*York County: York is named for James II of England, created Duke of York in 1644.

ee also

* County (United States)
* Virginia
* Lists of U.S. county name etymologies

External links

* [http://www.virginiaplaces.org/vacount/existco.html VirginiaPlaces.org: Existing Virginia Counties]
* [http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/local/county_formation/ County and City Formations and Records Availability at the Library of Virginia]
* [http://www.arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org/learn/snapshots/arlington_connection.asp Arlington Historical Society: The Arlington Connection—2001]