List of Florida county name etymologies

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This is a list of Florida county name etymologies.

Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

[edit] A

County	County Seat	Named for
Alachua	Gainesville	a word meaning "sinkhole" in either the Muskogee or Timucua Native American language[1]

[edit] B

County	County Seat	Named for
Baker	Macclenny	James McNair Baker, a Confederate senator
Bay	Panama City	St. Andrews Bay
Bradford	Starke	Richard Bradford, a captain in the American Civil War who was killed in the Battle of Santa Rosa Island
Brevard	Titusville	Judge Theodore Washington Brevard, State Comptroller for twelve years. Honored by Florida General Assembly on January 6, 1855 with change from St. Lucie to Brevard County. Source: Record of Acts of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida and General Assembly of the State of Florida Relating to County Boundaries: 1821-1937, Historical Records Survey, Works Progress Administration, Jacksonville, 1937, p. 16.
Broward	Fort Lauderdale	Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, the nineteenth state Governor of Florida

[edit] C

County	County Seat	Named for
Calhoun	Blountstown	John Caldwell Calhoun, the seventh vice president of the United States
Charlotte	Punta Gorda	the Charlotte Harbor estuary
Citrus	Inverness	the numerous citrus trees located in the county and their importance on the local economy at the time
Clay	Green Cove Springs	Henry Clay, the Kentucky statesman, presidential candidate, and ninth secretary of state of the United States
Collier	Naples	Barron Collier, a land owner and developer
Columbia	Lake City	Christopher Columbus, the famous explorer

[edit] D

County	County Seat	Named for
De Soto	Arcadia	Hernando de Soto, the Spanish explorer (Hernando County is also named after de Soto)
Dixie	Cross City	Dixie, a common nickname for the Southern United States
Duval	Jacksonville	William Pope Duval, the second territorial Governor of Florida and first non-military territorial governor

[edit] E

County	County Seat	Named for
Escambia	Pensacola	the Escambia River

[edit] F

County	County Seat	Named for
Flagler	Bunnell	Henry Morrison Flagler, a famous railroad and real estate tycoon who helped develop eastern Florida's seaboard
Franklin	Apalachicola	Benjamin Franklin, the famous Founding Father, statesman, printer, and scientist

[edit] G

County	County Seat	Named for
Gadsden	Quincy	James Gadsden, a soldier in territorial Florida, railroad builder, and diplomat
Gilchrist	Trenton	Albert Waller Gilchrist, the twentieth Governor of Florida
Glades	Moore Haven	the Florida Everglades
Gulf	Port St. Joe	the Gulf of Mexico

[edit] H

County	County Seat	Named for
Hamilton	Jasper	Alexander Hamilton, the famous statesman and first United States Secretary of the Treasury
Hardee	Wauchula	Cary Augustus Hardee, the twenty-third governor of Florida
Hendry	La Belle	Francis A. Hendry, an early settler
Hernando	Brooksville	Hernando de Soto, the Spanish explorer (De Soto County is also named after de Soto)
Highlands	Sebring	its terrain
Hillsborough	Tampa	the Hillsborough River, which is named after Wills Hill, Viscount Hillsborough, a British politician during the period of the American Revolutionary War who ordered the mapping of the river's course
Holmes	Bonifay	Thomas J. Holmes, an early settler in the region

[edit] I

County	County Seat	Named for
Indian River	Vero Beach	the Indian River, not a real river, but a long, narrow saltwater lagoon between the mainland and the barrier islands that extends above and below the county

[edit] J

County	County Seat	Named for
Jackson	Marianna	Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States and the military governor of Florida in 1821
Jefferson	Monticello	Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States

[edit] L

County	County Seat	Named for
Lafayette	Mayo	the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general in the American Revolutionary War
Lake	Tavares	the numerous lakes in the area
Lee	Fort Myers	Robert Edward Lee, the leading Confederate general in the American Civil War
Leon	Tallahassee	Juan Ponce de León, the Spanish explorer
Levy	Bronson	David Levy Yulee, a United States senator from Florida in the mid-nineteenth century
Liberty	Bristol	the privilege and right of liberty

[edit] M

County	County Seat	Named for
Madison	Madison	James Madison, the fourth president of the United States
Manatee	Bradenton	the manatee, the official state marine mammal of Florida which is indigenous to the state, and is officially classified as an endangered species
Marion	Ocala	Francis Marion, the general of the American Revolutionary War who was nicknamed the "Swamp Fox"
Martin	Stuart	John W. Martin, the twenty-fourth governor of Florida
Miami-Dade	Miami	jointly named after the county seat and Francis L. Dade, a major killed at the Dade Battlefield at the start of the Second Seminole War in 1835 (previously just Dade County, the name was officially changed by referendum in 1997)
Monroe	Key West	James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States

[edit] N

County	County Seat	Named for
Nassau	Fernandina Beach	the Duchy of Nassau in Germany

[edit] O

• Okaloosa County, Florida: Okaloosa is named from the Choctaw words oka (water) and lusa (black).
• Okeechobee County, Florida: Okeechobee is named from the Hitchiti words oki (water) and chobi (big), a reference to Lake Okeechobee, the largest lake in Florida.
• Orange County, Florida: Orange is named after the orange fruit, the main product in the early county. Formerly known as Mosquito County.
• Osceola County, Florida: Osceola is named after Osceola, the Native American leader who led the Second Seminole War.

[edit] P

• Palm Beach County, Florida: Palm Beach is named from the palm trees and beaches in the county.
• Pasco County, Florida: Pasco is named after Samuel Pasco, a United States senator in the late nineteenth century.
• Pinellas County, Florida: Pinellas is named from the Spanish words Punta Piñal ("Point of Pines" or "Piney Point").
• Polk County, Florida: Polk is named after James Knox Polk, the eleventh president of the United States.
• Putnam County, Florida: Putnam is named after either Israel Putnam, a general in the American Revolutionary War, or Benjamin A. Putnam, an officer in the First Seminole War and a local Florida politician.

[edit] S

• Santa Rosa County, Florida: Santa Rosa is named after Saint Rosa de Viterbo, a Roman Catholic saint.
• Sarasota County, Florida: Sarasota is named from a Calusa word which possibly means "Point of Rocks".
• Seminole County, Florida: Seminole is named after the Seminole Native American tribe.
• St. Johns County, Florida: St. Johns is named after Saint John the Baptist.
• St. Lucie County, Florida: St. Lucie is named after Saint Lucie of Syracuse, a Roman Catholic Saint and martyr for her faith in 304.
• Sumter County, Florida: Sumter is named after Thomas Sumter, a general in the American Revolutionary War.
• Suwannee County, Florida: Suwannee is named after the Suwannee River, the same river made famous by Stephen Foster in his song Old Folks at Home.

[edit] T

• Taylor County, Florida: Taylor is named after Zachary Taylor, the twelfth president of the United States.

[edit] U

• Union County, Florida: Union is named from the concept of unity.

[edit] V

• Volusia County, Florida: Volusia is named after a settlement on the St. Johns River.

[edit] W

• Wakulla County, Florida: Wakulla is possibly named from a Timucuan word meaning "spring of water".
• Walton County, Florida: Walton is named after George Walton, a secretary for the territory of Florida.
• Washington County, Florida: Washington is named after George Washington, the first President of the United States.

[edit] Sources

• Florida county name origins A-I
• Florida county name origins J-Z

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[edit] See also

• Florida
• List of counties in Florida
• Lists of U.S. county name etymologies
• County (United States)

[edit] References