List of Idaho county name etymologies

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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" [1]
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.