List of New York county name etymologies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of New York county name etymologies.
- Albany County, New York: Albany is named for King James II of England, who was Duke of York and Albany prior to ascending the throne, Duke of Albany having been his Scottish title.
- Allegany County, New York: Allegany is named for a variant spelling of the Allegheny River.
- Bronx County, New York: Bronx is named for Jonas Bronck, an early settler in the region.
- Broome County, New York: Broome is named for John Broome, a lieutenant governor of New York.
- Cattaraugus County, New York: Cattaraugus is named for a Seneca phrase meaning "bad smelling banks" (referring to the odor of natural gas which leaked from local rock formations).
- Cayuga County, New York: Cayuga is named for the Cayuga Native American tribe.
- Chautauqua County, New York: Chautauqua is named for a Seneca word meaning "where the fish was taken out".
- Chemung County, New York: Chemung is named for a Delaware Native American village.
- Chenango County, New York: Chenango is named for an Onondaga word meaning "large bull-thistle".
- Clinton County, New York: Clinton is named for George Clinton, the fourth vice president of the United States and first and third governor of New York.
- Columbia County, New York: Columbia is named for Christopher Columbus, the famous explorer.
- Cortland County, New York: Cortland is named for Pierre Van Cortlandt, the first lieutenant governor of New York.
- Delaware County, New York: Delaware is named for Thomas West, Lord De La Warr, an early colonial leader in Virginia.
- Dutchess County, New York: Dutchess is named for Lady Anne Hyde, the Duchess of York and wife of the future King James II of England.
- Erie County, New York: Erie is named for the Erie Native American tribe.
- Essex County, New York: Essex is named for the county of Essex in England.
- Franklin County, New York: Franklin is named for Benjamin Franklin, the famous Fouding Father, printer, scientist, and statesman.
- Fulton County, New York: Fulton is named for Robert Fulton, the famous inventor of the steamship.
- Genesee County, New York: Genesee is named for a Seneca phrase meaning "good valley".
- Greene County, New York: Greene is named for Nathanael Greene, a general in the American Revolutionary War .
- Hamilton County, New York: Hamilton is named for Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father and first United States Secretary of the Treasury.
- Herkimer County, New York: Herkimer is named for Nicholas Herkimer, a general in the American Revolutionary War general.
- Jefferson County, New York: Jefferson is named for Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States.
- Kings County, New York: Kings is named for King Charles II of England.
- Lewis County, New York: Lewis is named for Morgan Lewis, the fourth governor of New York.
- Livingston County, New York: Livingston County is named for Robert R. Livingston, a New York delegate to the Continental Congress.
- Madison County, New York: Madison is named for James Madison, the fourth president of the United States.
- Monroe County, New York: Monroe is named for James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States.
- Montgomery County, New York: Montgomery is named for Richard Montgomery, a general in the American Revolutionary War.
- Nassau County, New York: Nassau is named for William of Orange-Nassau, the later King William III of England.
- New York County, New York: New York is named for King James II of England, who was Duke of York and Albany prior to ascending the throne, Duke of York having been his English title.
- Niagara County, New York: Niagara is named for an Native American word meaning "bisected bottom lands."
- Oneida County, New York: Oneida is named for the Oneida Native American tribe.
- Onondaga County, New York: Onondaga is named for the Onondaga Native American tribe.
- Ontario County, New York: Ontario is named for an Iroquois word meaning "beautiful lake".
- Orange County, New York: Orange is named for William of Orange, King William III of England.
- Orleans County, New York: Orleans is named for the French Royal House of Orleans.
- Oswego County, New York: Oswego is named for an Iroquois word meaning "the outpouring" (referring to the mouth of the Oswego River).
- Otsego County, New York: Otsego is named for a Native American word meaning "place of the rock."
- Putnam County, New York: Putnam is named for Israel Putnam, a general in the American Revolutionary War.
- Queens County, New York: Queens is named for Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England and the wife of Charles II of England.
- Rensselaer County, New York: Rensselaer is named for Kiliaen van Rensselaer, an early landowner in the region.
- Richmond County, New York: Richmond is named for King James II of England, who also was Duke of Richmond.
- Rockland County, New York: Rockland is named for the early settlers' description of the local terrain as "rocky land".
- Saratoga County, New York: Saratoga is named for a corruption of an Native American word "sah-rah-ka" or "Sarach-togue", supposed to mean "the hill beside the river".
- Schenectady County, New York: Schenectady is named for a Mohawk phrase meaning "on the other side of the pine lands".
- Schoharie County, New York: Schoharie is named for a Mohawk word meaning "floating driftwood."
- Schuyler County, New York: Schuyler is named for Philip Schuyler, a general in the American Revolutionary War.
- Seneca County, New York: Seneca is named for the Seneca tribe of Native Americans.
- St. Lawrence County, New York: St. Lawrence is named for the St. Lawrence River.
- Steuben County, New York: Steuben is named for Friedrich von Steuben, the general in the American Revolutionary War.
- Suffolk County, New York: Suffolk is named for the county of Suffolk in England.
- Sullivan County, New York: Sullivan is named for John Sullivan, a general in the American Revolutionary War.
- Tioga County, New York: Tioga is named for a Native American word meaning "at the forks," describing a meeting place.
- Tompkins County, New York: Tompkins is named for Daniel D. Tompkins, the sixth vice president of the United States.
- Ulster County, New York: Ulster is named for the province of Ulster in Ireland.
- Warren County, New York: Warren is named for Joseph Warren, a general in the American Revolutionary War.
- Washington County, New York: Washington is named for George Washington, the first president of the United States.
- Wayne County, New York: Wayne is named after Mad Anthony Wayne, the general in the American Revolutionary War.
- Westchester County, New York: Westchester is named for Chester, England.
- Wyoming County, New York: Wyoming is named for a modified Delaware Native American word meaning broad bottom lands.
- Yates County, New York: Yates is named for Joseph Christopher Yates, the eighth governor of New York.
