List of U.S. county name etymologies (N–R)

This is a list of U.S. county name etymologies, covering the letters N to R.

N

County nameStateOrigin
Nacogdoches CountyTexasNamed for the Nacogdoche tribe of Caddo Native Americans.
Nance CountyNebraskaNamed after Governor Albinus Nance.[1]
Town and County of NantucketMassachusettsNantucket takes its name from a word in an Eastern Algonquian language of southern New England, originally spelled variously as natocke, nantaticut, nantican, and nautican. The meaning of the term is uncertain, although it may have meant "in the midst of waters," or "far away island."[2]
Napa CountyCalifornia

An Indian word, uncertain origin, many plausible possibilities.

Nash CountyNorth CarolinaNamed for Brigadier General Francis Nash, who had been mortally wounded at the Battle of Germantown.
Nassau CountyFloridaNamed for the Duchy of Nassau in Germany.
Nassau CountyNew YorkNamed after an old name for Long Island, which was named Nassau after William of Nassau, Prince of Orange (who later became King William III of England.)
Natchitoches ParishLouisianaNamed for the Natchitoches tribe of Native Americans.
Natrona CountyWyoming

Named for the natron, or soda deposits in the county.

Navajo CountyArizona

named for the Navajo Indian tribe

Navarro CountyTexasNamed for José Antonio Navarro, a Tejano leader in the Texas Revolution who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Nelson CountyKentuckyNamed for Thomas Nelson, Jr. a Virginia Governor who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Nelson CountyNorth Dakota

for Nelson E. Nelson, a ND legislator at the time.

Nelson CountyVirginiaNamed for Thomas Nelson, Jr. a Virginia Governor who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Nemaha CountyKansas

from the Otoe Indian word nimaha 'murky water.'

Nemaha CountyNebraska

from the Otoe Indian word 'murky water.'

Neosho CountyKansas

Osage Indian 'cold, clear water' or 'main river,'

Neshoba CountyMississippiNeshoba, derived from the Choctaw word nashoba, means Wolf. [3]
Ness CountyKansasNamed for Corporal Noah V. Ness of the Seventh Kansas Cavalry. Ness died of wounds suffered at the Battle of Abbeyville in Mississippi in August 1864.[4]
Nevada CountyArkansasNamed for the State of Nevada.
Nevada CountyCalifornianamed after the mining town of Nevada City, a name derived from the term "Sierra Nevada." The word nevada in Spanish means "snowy" or "snowcovered."[5]
New Castle CountyDelaware

for William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne

New Hanover CountyNorth CarolinaNamed for the House of Hanover.
New Haven CountyConnecticutNamed after its largest city and county seat, New Haven.
New Kent CountyVirginiaNamed for the county of Kent, England.
New London CountyConnecticutNamed after the county seat, New London, which is named for London, England.
New Madrid CountyMissouriNamed after a district located in the region that was once under Spanish rule, Nuevo Madrid, after the city of Madrid, Spain.
New York CountyNew YorkNew York is named after James, Duke of York, who renamed New Amsterdam after himself shortly after the British takeover in 1664. The county name also refers to the fact that New York City was wholly contained in the county until it combined with other areas in the 1880s. New York County today is thus simply referred to as Manhattan, the island that forms almost all the area of the county.
Newaygo CountyMichiganDerived from then name of a Chippewa chief who signed the Treaty of Saginaw or from a Native American word meaning "much water."
Newberry CountySouth CarolinaUnknown
Newport CountyRhode IslandDescriptive, recalling Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales
City of Newport NewsVirginiaNot known with any certainty. See the "Name" section of the city's article for possibilities.
Newton CountyArkansasNamed for Thomas W. Newton, an Arkansas Congressman.
Newton CountyGeorgiaNamed after Sgt. John Newton of the American Revolutionary War.
Newton CountyIndiana
Newton CountyMississippiNamed for Sir Isaac Newton.
Newton CountyMissouriNamed after Sgt. John Newton of the American Revolutionary War.
Newton CountyTexas
Nez Perce CountyIdahoNamed for the Nez Percé tribe of Native Americans.
Niagara CountyNew YorkDerived from the Indian word Onguiaahra meaning the straight or thunder of waters.[6]
Nicholas CountyKentuckyNamed for George Nicholas, the "Father of the Kentucky Constitution".
Nicholas CountyWest VirginiaNamed for Virginia Governor Wilson Cary Nicholas.
Nicollet CountyMinnesotaNamed for Joseph Nicolas Nicollet, a geographer-explorer.
Niobrara CountyWyoming

Omaha–Ponca languageIndian 'spreading water river.'

Noble CountyIndianaNamed for James Noble, the first U.S. Senator from Indiana.
Noble CountyOhioNamed for Rep. Warren P. Noble of the Ohio House of Representatives, who was an early settler there.
Noble CountyOklahoma

for John W. Noble, Secretary of the Interior

Nobles CountyMinnesotaNamed for William H. Nobles, a member of the Territorial Legislature.
Nodaway CountyMissouriNamed for the Nodaway River.
Nolan CountyTexasNamed for Philip Nolan, one of the first American traders to visit Texas.
Nome Census AreaAlaska
City of NorfolkVirginiaNamed for the county of Norfolk, England.
Norfolk CountyMassachusetts
Norman CountyMinnesotaIn honor of the large number of Norwegians, or Normans, who settled in this county.
North Slope BoroughAlaskaNamed for the Alaska North Slope, a region on the northern slope of the Brooks Range.
Northampton CountyNorth CarolinaNamed for James Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton.
Northampton CountyPennsylvaniaFor Northamptonshire, England,
Northampton CountyVirginiafor Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton
Northumberland CountyPennsylvaniaNamed for the county of Northumberland, England.
Northumberland CountyVirginia
Northwest Arctic BoroughAlaska
City of NortonVirginiaNamed in 1890 after Eckstein Norton, then president of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad.
Norton CountyKansasNamed for Orloff Norton.
Nottoway CountyVirginiaFrom the Nottoway Tribe of Native Americans.
Nowata CountyOklahomaFrom the Lenape word "nuwita," meaning "friendly" or "welcome."
Noxubee CountyMississippiDerived from the Choctaw word nakshobi, meaning to stink.[3]
Nuckolls CountyNebraskaNamed after Stephen F. Nuckolls, an early pioneer in this area.[7]
Nueces CountyTexasNamed for the Nueces River, whose name comes from the Spanish word for walnuts or pecans.
Nye CountyNevadaNamed in honor of James W. Nye, first governor of the Nevada Territory and later U.S. Senator from the state.

O

P

Q

County nameStateOrigin
Quay CountyNew MexicoNamed for Pennsylvania senator Matthew Quay, who supported New Mexican statehood.[10]
Queen Anne's CountyMarylandNamed for Anne, Queen of Great Britain, who reigned when the county was established in 1706.
Queens CountyNew YorkNamed for the then-queen consort, Catherine of Braganza, the Catholic wife of Charles II.
Quitman CountyGeorgiaNamed after General John A. Quitman, leader in the Mexican War, and two-time Governor of Mississippi.
Quitman CountyMississippi

R

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Nance County". Archived 2008-08-19 at the Wayback Machine. Nebraska Association of County Officials. Archived 2010-06-05 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  2. ↑ Huden, John C. (1962). Indian Place Names of New England. New York: Museum of the American Indian. Cited in: Bright, William (2004). Native American Place Names in the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, pg. 312
  3. 1 2 Byington, Cyrus (1909). Choctaw Language Dictionary. Global Bible Society.
  4. ↑ Kansas Place-Names, John Rydjord, University of Oklahoma Press, 1972, ISBN 0-8061-0994-7
  5. ↑ "Nevada County History". US Gen Web Project in California. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  6. ↑ Retrieved 2010-05-25 Archived 2009-02-06 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-05-25. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  8. ↑ "History of Ocean County". Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission. Archived from the original on 2007-03-10. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  9. ↑ "The Lenape Language". Archived from the original on 2007-02-27. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  10. ↑ Historical Sidebar: New Mexico Counties Archived 2008-07-04 at the Wayback Machine., Viva New Mexico!, c. 1996. Accessed 2008-05-01.
  11. ↑ https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/IRAD/richland.html
  12. ↑ "Rock county [origin of place name]". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
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