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This is a list of Illinois county name etymologies. Many counties in the U.S. state of Illinois were named for early American leaders, especially of the American Revolutionary War, as well as soldiers from the Battle of Tippecanoe and the War of 1812. Several are named for natural features or counties in other states. Several are named for early Illinois leaders. Two counties are named for Native American tribes, and one bears the name of a plant used as a food-source by Native Americans.
Although Illinois has no "Lincoln County" named for its favorite son, Abraham Lincoln, it does have a Douglas County named for his political rival Stephen Douglas. It also has Calhoun County, named for John C. Calhoun, outspoken for his Confederate views in the years preceding the American Civil War. Many of the counties are named for Southerners, reflecting the fact that the State was originally a part of Virginia, and mainly settled by southerners. No counties are named for Northern heroes of the Civil War, mainly because the counties were almost all named before that War. The State even has a Lee County named after the family of Robert E. Lee, who at one time served in Illinois.
[edit] Adams - DuPage
- Adams County is named for U.S. President John Quincy Adams
- Alexander County is named after area pioneer and Illinois state legislator William M. Alexander.
- Bond County is named after Shadrach Bond, delegate from the Illinois Territory to the United States Congress, who thereupon became the first Governor of Illinois.
- Boone County is named after frontiersman Daniel Boone.
- Brown County is named after Gen. Jacob Brown, a soldier in the War of 1812.
- Bureau County is named for Pierre de Bureo, sometimes spelled "de Beuro", a "half breed" (French and Native American) who established a trading post in Bureau County around 1818.
- Calhoun County is named for U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun.
- Carroll County is named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
- Cass County is named for U.S. Secretary of War and State, Lewis Cass.
- Champaign County is named after Champaign County, Ohio.
- Christian County is named after Christian County, Kentucky and for Col. William Christian, a native of Augusta County, Virginia, and a veteran of the Revolutionary War, killed by Native Americans in southern Indiana in 1786.
- Clark County is named after American Revolutionary War leader George Rogers Clark, who captured important bases in Illinois Country during the war.
- Clay County is named after U.S. Speaker of the House Henry Clay.
- Clinton County is named for DeWitt Clinton, a Governor of New York.
- Coles County is named after Edward Coles, the second Governor of Illinois
- Cook County is named after Daniel Pope Cook, first attorney general of Illinois.
- Crawford County is named after U.S. Secretary of War William H. Crawford.
- Cumberland County is named for the Cumberland Road which ran through the County.
- DeKalb County is named for Johann de Kalb, a hero of the American Revolutionary War.
- De Witt County is named for DeWitt Clinton, a Governor of New York.
- Douglas County is named after U.S. Senator from Illinois Stephen A. Douglas.
- DuPage County is named after the DuPage River. One source says that the River was named for a French trader who settled on the stream prior to 1800.
[edit] Edgar - Johnson
- Edgar County is named after Illinois pioneer John Edgar.
- Edwards County is named after Ninian Edwards, the last Governor of the Illinois Territory.
- Effingham County is named for Lord Edward Effingham, who resigned his commission as general in the British army in 1775, refusing to serve in the war against the colonies.
- Fayette County is named after the Marquis de la Fayette.
- Ford County is named after Governor of Illinois Thomas Ford.
- Franklin County is named after Founding Father Benjamin Franklin.
- Fulton County is named after Robert Fulton, the steamboat inventor.
- Gallatin County is named after U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
- Greene County is named after American Revolutionary War leader Nathanael Greene.
- Grundy County is named after U.S. Attorney General Felix Grundy.
- Hamilton County is named after Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.
- Hancock County is named after Founding Father John Hancock.
- Hardin County is named after Hardin County, Kentucky, which was named for John Hardin, an officer in the Revolutionary War and Northwest Indian War. John Hardin was killed by Shawnee Indians in 1792 in what is now Shelby County, Ohio.
- Henderson County is named after Henderson County, Kentucky, which was named for Richard Henderson, founder of the Transylvania Company, an early attempt to organize what later became Kentucky around 1775.
- Henry County is named after Patrick Henry, Revolutionary War firebrand and champion of individual rights, to whom the slogan "give me liberty, or give me death" is attributed.
- Iroquois County is named after the Iroquois Native American people.
- Jackson County is named after Andrew Jackson who had just defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans, and who later became U.S. President.
- Jasper County is named after William Jasper, a hero of the American Revolutionary War.
- Jefferson County is named after U.S. President Thomas Jefferson.
- Jersey County is named after the U.S. state of New Jersey.
- Jo Daviess County is named after Joseph Hamilton Daviess, a soldier killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe.
- Johnson County is named in 1812 after Richard Mentor Johnson, who was then a Congressman from Kentucky. In 1813, Johnson commanded a Kentucky regiment at the Battle of the Thames, after which he claimed to have killed Tecumseh in hand to hand combat. Johnson went on to be Vice President of the United States.
[edit] Kane - Moultrie
- Kane County is named after U.S. Senator Elias Kane.
- Kankakee County is named after the Kankakee River.
- Kendall County is named after Amos Kendall, who was the editor of the Frankfort, Kentucky newspaper, and went on to be an important advisor to President Andrew Jackson. Kendall became the U.S. Postmaster General in 1835.
- Knox County is named after Revolutionary War General Henry Knox, who became the first United States Secretary of War.
- LaSalle County is named after explorer René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.
- Lake County is named after the many small lakes in and around the county.
- Lawrence County is named after James Lawrence, commander of the USS Chesapeake during the War of 1812.
- Lee County is named after American Revolutionary War leader Lighthorse Harry Lee, or for his cousin Richard Henry Lee, member of the Continental Congress. The Declaration of Independence was adopted pursuant to Lee's Resolution.
- Livingston County is named after U.S. Secretary of State Edward Livingston.
- Logan County is named after John Logan, father of U.S. Senator and GAR leader John A. Logan.
- Macon County is named after American Revolutionary War figure Nathaniel Macon, who served as United States Senator from North Carolina until his resignation in 1828.
- Macoupin County is named for a Native American word, "macoupin". Although many sources say this meant "white potato", the actual potato was not cultivated in North America in Pre-Columbian times. This could be a reference to arrowhead, a wetland plant with an edible root used by Native Americans. A more likely possibility is the American Lotus, which also had a root used as a food source.
- Madison County is named for U.S. President James Madison.
- Marion County is named for Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox".
- Marshall County is named after U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall.
- Mason County is named after Mason County, Kentucky, and hence for George Mason, a member of the Virginia legislature who campaigned for the adoption of the United States Bill of Rights.
- Massac County is named after Fort Massac, which was named after Claud Louis d'Espinchal, Marquis de Massiac, the French Naval Minister during the 1750's.
- McDonough County is named after Commodore Thomas McDonough
- McHenry County is named after Gen. William McHenry, an old Indian fighter who died in Vandalia in 1835.
- McLean County is named after U.S. Senator John McLean.
- Menard County is named after Illinois lieutenant governor Pierre Menard.
- Mercer County is named after American Revolutionary War leader Hugh Mercer.
- Monroe County is named after U.S. President James Monroe.
- Montgomery County is named after American Revolutionary War general Richard Montgomery.
- Morgan County is named after American Revolutionary War leader and Congressman Daniel Morgan.
- Moultrie County is named after William Moultrie, an American Revolutionary War general and Governor of South Carolina.
[edit] Ogle - Vermilion
- Ogle County is named after Captain Joseph Ogle, a veteran of the Revolutionary War who came to Illinois in 1785.
- Peoria County is named for the Native American Peoria, an Illiniwek people who lived there.
- Perry County is named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry.
- Piatt County is named after John Piatt, the first county sheriff.
- Pike County is named after Zebulon Pike, who led the Pike Expedition in 1806 to explore the southwestern portion of the Louisiana Purchase. Pike served at the Battle of Tippecanoe, and was killed in 1813 in the War of 1812.
- Pope County is named after Judge Nathaniel Pope.
- Pulaski County is named after Kazimierz Pulaski, a Polish-born American Revolutionary War leader.
- Putnam County is named after Israel Putnam, who was a hero in the French and Indian War and a general in the American Revolutionary War.
- Randolph County is named after Edmund Randolph, governor of Virginia, who ceded Illinois County, Virginia, to the United States.
- Richland County is named after Richland County, Ohio.
- Rock Island County is named after Rock Island, an island in the Mississippi River.
- Saline County is named for the salt springs which are found in the county.
- Sangamon County is named after the Sangamon River, which in turn comes from a Pottawatomie word meaning "where there is plenty to eat."
- Schuyler County is named after American Revolutionary War general Philip Schuyler.
- Scott County is named after a local pioneer family named Scott.
- Shelby County is named after Isaac Shelby, a Governor of Kentucky.
- St. Clair County is named after "Governor St. Clair," probably Arthur St. Clair, governor of the Northwest Territory.
- Stark County is named after John Stark, a soldier of the French and Indian Wars and the American Revolutionary War.
- Stephenson County is named after Benjamin Stephenson, an adjutant general of Illinois Territory.
- Tazewell County was named for Littleton Waller Tazewell, a Governor of Virginia.
- Union County was named for the federal union which was threatened by the American Civil War.
- Vermilion County is named for the Vermilion River and the Little Vermilion River (Illinois), both of which run through it.
[edit] Wabash - Woodford
- Wabash County is named for the Wabash River, itself taken from the Miami language, meaning "it shines like white".
- Warren County is named for Joseph Warren, likely the first military officer to die for the Continentals in the American Revolutionary War.
- Washington County is named for U.S. President George Washington.
- Wayne County is named for Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne.
- White County is named for Captain Isaac White, who was in charge of the salt works at Equality, Illinois, and who was killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe.
- Whiteside County is named for Samuel Whiteside, a soldier in the War of 1812 and the Black Hawk War
- Will County is named for Conrad Will, a politician mainly associated with Jackson County.
- Williamson County is named for Williamson County, Tennessee, and for Hugh Williamson, a physician in the Revolutionary War and North Carolina delegate to the United States Constitutional Convention.
- Winnebago County is named for the Winnebago Native American people.
- Woodford County is named after Woodford County, Kentucky, and for General William Woodford, who was with General George Washington at Valley Forge.
[edit] External references
- History of Southern Illinois, George Washington Smith, 1912.
[edit] Source
[edit] See also
