County Name Etymologies
Summary of County Names and Etymologies
Of the 254 counties in Texas, 14 were named after their original county seats. Of the remaining 240, 199 were named after people, and 27 were named after geographic features, such as rivers. The other 15 have miscellaneous names in English, Spanish, or Indian languages.
Of the 199 counties named after people:
- 66 are named after men who fought against Mexico in the Texas Revolution. This includes 11 counties named after 13 men who died at the Alamo - including a trio of brothers.
- 58 are named after men who held public office in the Republic of Texas. 18 of those were also soldiers in the Texas Revolution.
- 54 are named after men who held public office in the state of Texas. 27 of those also fought in the Texas Revolution and/or held office in the Republic.
- 66 counties are named after people who aren't in the above three groups. This includes Texas Rangers, Confederate soldiers, U.S. presidents and other office holders, figures from Spain or Mexico, businessmen and landowners, and others.
- No Texas counties are named directly after women, but three counties are named for things named after women - the Angelina River, the Guadalupe River, and Mission Nuestra Señora del Refugio.
County Name Groups
[-]Collapse Section [+]Expand SectionIn the list below, a county name in normal font indicates the primary source of the name. Italics are used to indicate a secondary source of the county name. For example:
- Austin County was named for Stephen F. Austin, whose career as a colonist earned him the title, "The Father of Texas." In addition to being a colonist, he had brief stints as army commander and commissioner to the United States. Austin County is listed in normal font under "Colonists in Spanish Texas" and in italics under "Other Texas Revolution Soldiers" and "Republic of Texas officeholders."
- Brazos County was named for the Brazos River. "Brazos" is a Spanish word. Brazos is listed in normal font in the "Geographic features" list and in italics under "Spanish words and names."
The numbers after the group names indicate the number of counties in that group as a primary source, and the total number . For example (2, 8) indicates 2 counties that are in the group as a primary source, and 8 total.
Colonists in Spanish Texas (6)
Austin, Bastrop, DeWitt, Edwards, McMullen, RobertsonProminent Mexicans and Officials of New Spain (2, 8)
Goliad, Gonzales, Hidalgo, Leon, San Augustine, Uvalde, Victoria, ZavalaTexans killed at the Alamo (10, 11)
Bailey, Bowie, Cochran, Cottle, Crockett, Dickens, Floyd, King, Lynn, Taylor, TravisOther Texas Revolution soldiers (30, 55)
Andrews, Austin, Bell, Brewster, Briscoe, Brown, Burleson, Caldwell, Coleman, Collingsworth, Cooke, Coryell, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Dimmit, Duval, Eastland, Erath, Fannin, Franklin, Glasscock, Grayson, Hale, Hall, Harrison, Haskel, Hockley, Houston, Jack, Jones, Karnes, Kent, Kimble, Kleberg, Lamar, Lamb, Lubbock, McCulloch, Martin, Maverick, Milam, Mitchell, Motley, Parker, Rusk, Shackelford, Sherman, Smith, Somervell, Swisher, Tom Green, Waller, Ward, Wharton, WilliamsonTexas Declaration of Independence signers (3, 23)
Briscoe, Caldwell, Childress, Coleman, Collin, Collingsworth, Houston, Roberts, Ellis, Fisher, Gaines, Grimes, Hardeman, Maverick, Menard, Motley, Navarro, Parmer, Potter, Robertson, Swisher, Waller, ZavalaRepublic of Texas presidents (4)
Burnet, Houston, Jones, LamarOther Republic of Texas officeholders (34, 54)
Anderson, Archer, Austin, Bee, Brewster, Burleson, Carson, Collingsworth, Cooke, Ellis, Erath, Fisher, Franklin, Grayson, Grimes, Hall, Hansford, Hardeman, Hemphill, Henderson, Hill, Hockley, Howard, Hudspeth, Hunt, Hutchinson, Irion, Jack, Johnson, Kinney, Lipscomb, Martin, Maverick, Menard, Mills, Morris, Navarro, Ochiltree, Parker, Potter, Rains, Robertson, Rusk, Sherman, Somervell, Starr, Tarrant, Tom Green, Van Zandt, Webb, Wharton, Wheeler, Williamson, ZavalaTexas governors (6, 8)
Bell, Coke, Henderson, Houston, Jim Hogg, Roberts, Runnels, WoodU.S. Congressmen and Senators from Texas (5, 16)
Bell, Coke, Culberson, Ector, Hemphill, Henderson, Houston, Howard, Hudspeth, Kaufman, Maverick, Ochiltree, Reagan, Rusk, Schleicher, ScurryOther state and local officeholders (19, 34)
Brewster, Burnet, Camp, Crosby, Donley, Erath, Gaines, Glasscock, Gray, Grimes, Jim Wells, Kerr, Lipscomb, Montague, Moore, Parker, Rains, Reagan, Real, Reeves, Schleicher, Scurry, Smith, Tarrant, Terrell, Titus, Waller, Ward, Webb, Wheeler, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, WinklerTexas Rangers (12, 15)
Baylor, Brooks, Callahan, Eastland, Gillespie, Hays, Johnson, Kendall, Kerr, Lubbock, McCulloch, Robertson, Sutton, Terry, WalkerConfederate soldiers from Texas (9, 13)
Ector, Foard, Gregg, Hood, McCulloch, Reeves, Schleicher, Scurry, Terrell, Tom Green, Upton, Wharton, WinklerProminent Texas landowners, ranchers, businessmen (6, 8)
Borden, Glasscock, Harris, Kenedy, Maverick, Menard, Montague, ZapataOther Texans (13, 14)
Cameron, Castro, Chambers, Crane, Dallam, Denton, Loving, McLennan, Mason, Oldham, Sterling, Yoakum, Young, ZapataU.S. Revolutionary War figures (4, 6)
Fayette, Jasper, Knox, Marion, Newton, WashingtonU.S. presidents (6)
Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Polk, Tyler, WashingtonOther U.S. officeholders (9, 13)
Calhoun, Carson, Cass, Clay, Crockett, Houston, Dallas, Jeff Davis, Knox, Lamar, Stephens, Upshur, WiseOther people (8, 12)
Galveston, Hamilton, La Salle, Lee, Montgomery, Nolan, Randall, San Patricio, San Saba, Shelby, Stonewall, ThrockmortonSiblings and Families (13)
Armstrong, Garza, Hardeman, Hardin, Hartley, Hopkins, Jack, Mitchell, Roberts, Taylor, Upton, Wharton, WilbargerGeographic features (27, 29)
Angelina, Aransas, Atascosa, Bandera, Blanco, Bosque, Brazoria, Brazos, Colorado, Comal, Concho, El Paso, Falls, Frio, Guadalupe, Lampasas, Lavaca, Llano, Medina, Nueces, Palo Pinto, Pecos, Red River, Rockwall, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Saba, Trinity, UvaldeNamed after the county seat (14)
Brazoria, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Liberty, Mason, Midland, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Refugio, Rockwall, San Augustine, San Patricio, VictoriaEnglish words (6, 12)
Delta, Falls, Fort Bend, Freestone, Liberty, Limestone, Live Oak, Midland, Orange, Red River, Rockwall, TrinitySpanish words and names (4, 29)
Angelina, Aransas, Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Brazoria, Brazos, Colorado, Comal, Concho, El Paso, Frio, Guadalupe, Lampasas, Lavaca, Llano, Matagorda, Medina, Nueces, Palo Pinto, Pecos, Presidio, Refugio, Sabine, San Jacinto, Val VerdeIndian words and names (4, 5)
Cherokee, Comanche, Nacogdoches, Panola, WichitaTable of Texas County Names and Etymologies
[-]Collapse Table [+]Expand Table| Rank | Name | Named For | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson | K.L. Anderson (1805-45) | 4th vice president of Texas |
| 2 | Andrews | Richard Andrews (?-1835) | Texian soldier killed at Battle of Concepcion |
| 3 | Angelina | the Angelina River | Angelina ("little angel"), Spanish missionaries' nickname for a woman of the Hasani tribe |
| 4 | Aransas | the Aransas River | Aranzazu is a Spanish Basque word meaning "thorny place." |
| 5 | Archer | Branch T. Archer (1790-1856) | Republic speaker of the House, secretary of war, commissioner to the U.S. |
| 6 | Armstrong | a Texas pioneer family, now unknown | |
| 7 | Atascosa | the Atascosa River | Spanish for "boggy" |
| 8 | Austin | Stephen F. Austin (1793-1836) | Empresario, Texian commander-in-chief, Republic secretary of state, commissioner to the U.S. |
| 9 | Bailey | Peter James Bailey III (1812-36) | Alamo defender |
| 10 | Bandera | the Bandera Mountains | Spanish for "flag" |
| 11 | Bastrop | Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop (1759-1827) | Colonial official |
| 12 | Baylor | Henry W. Baylor (1818-54) | Texas Ranger |
| 13 | Bee | Barnard E. Bee Sr. (1787-1853) | Republic cabinet official and ambassador |
| 14 | Bell | Peter H. Bell (1812-98) | 3rd governor of Texas, Texian soldier, U.S. Congressman |
| 15 | Bexar | Bejar, the hometown of the Spanish viceroy | |
| 16 | Blanco | Blanco River | Spanish for "white" |
| 17 | Borden | Gail Borden Jr. (1801-74) | News publisher and inventor |
| 18 | Bosque | Bosque River | Spanish for "woods" |
| 19 | Bowie | James Bowie (1796-1836) | Alamo defender and co-commander |
| 20 | Brazoria | the county seat | Named for the Brazos River |
| 21 | Brazos | the Brazos River | Spanish for "arms" |
| 22 | Brewster | Henry P. Brewster (1816-84) | Texian soldier, interim Republic secretary of war, state attorney general |
| 23 | Briscoe | Andrew Briscoe (1810-49) | Texian soldier and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence |
| 24 | Brooks | James Brooks (1855-1944) | Texas Ranger |
| 25 | Brown | Henry S. Brown (1793-1834) | Texian soldier in the Battle of Velasco |
| 26 | Burleson | Edward Burleson (1798-1851) | Texian army commander, 2nd vice president of Texas |
| 27 | Burnet | David G. Burnet (1788-1870) | Interim president, 2nd vice president, 1st state secretary of state |
| 28 | Caldwell | Matthew Caldwell (1798-42) | Texian soldier and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence |
| 29 | Calhoun | John C. Calhoun (1782-1850) | U.S. Senator, vice president, secretary of war |
| 30 | Callahan | James H. Callahan (1812-56) | Texas Ranger |
| 31 | Cameron | Ewen Cameron (1811-43) | Texas Republic soldier |
| 32 | Camp | John L. Camp (1828-91) | Texas state senator |
| 33 | Carson | Samuel P. Carson (1798-1838) | Interim secretary of state, Congressman from North Carolina |
| 34 | Cass | Lewis Cass (1782-1866) | U.S. Senator from Michigan |
| 35 | Castro | Henri Castro (1786-1865) | Republic of Texas empresario |
| 36 | Chambers | Thomas Jefferson Chambers (1802-65) | Pre-revolution surveyor and attorney |
| 37 | Cherokee | the Cherokee tribe | |
| 38 | Childress | George C. Childress (1804-41) | Texas Declaration of Independence author and signer |
| 39 | Clay | Henry Clay (1825-29) | U.S. Senator and secretary of state |
| 40 | Cochran | Robert E. Cochran (1810-36) | Alamo defender |
| 41 | Coke | Richard Coke (1829-97) | U.S. Senator, 15th governor |
| 42 | Coleman | Robert M. Coleman (1799-1837) | Texian soldier and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence |
| 43 | Collin | Collin McKinney (1766-1861) | Texas Declaration of Independence author and signer |
| 44 | Collingsworth | James Collinsworth (1806-38) | Texas Declaration of independence signer, soldier, interim Republic secretary of state, chief justice |
| 45 | Colorado | the Colorado River | Spanish for "red" |
| 46 | Comal | the Comal River | Spanish for "basin" |
| 47 | Comanche | the Comanche tribe | |
| 48 | Concho | the Concho River | Spanish for "shell" |
| 49 | Cooke | William G. Cooke (1808-47) | Soldier in the Revolution and Republic, secretary of war |
| 50 | Coryell | James Coryell (1803-37) | Texian soldier and explorer |
| 51 | Cottle | George Washington Cottle (1811-36) | Alamo defender |
| 52 | Crane | William C. Crane (1816-85) | President of Baylor University |
| 53 | Crockett | David Crockett (1786-1836) | Alamo defender, U.S. Congressman from Tennessee, folk hero |
| 54 | Crosby | Stephen Crosby (1808-69) | State general land office commissioner |
| 55 | Culberson | David B. Culberson (1830-1900) | U.S. Congressman from Texas |
| 56 | Dallam | James W. Dallam (1818-47) | Legal scholar |
| 57 | Dallas | George M. Dallas | 11th U.S. vice president (under Polk) |
| 58 | Dawson | Nicholas M. Dawson (1800-42) | Texian officer at San Jacinto |
| 59 | Deaf Smith | Erastus "Deaf" Smith (1787-1837) | Texian soldier, Alamo courier |
| 60 | Delta | the county's triangular shape | |
| 61 | Denton | John B. Denton (1806-41) | Indian fighter |
| 62 | DeWitt | Green DeWitt (1787-1835) | Empresario |
| 63 | Dickens | James R. Dimpkins (?-1836) | Alamo defender |
| 64 | Dimmit | Philip Dimmitt (1801-41) | Texian soldier, Alamo scout |
| 65 | Donley | Stockton P. Donley (1821-71) | State Supreme Court justice |
| 66 | Duval | Burr H. DuVal (1809-36) | Texian soldier, killed at Goliad |
| 67 | Eastland | William M. Eastland (1806-1843) | Texian soldier and Texas Ranger |
| 68 | Ector | Matthew Ector (1822-79) | U.S. Congressman and Confederate general |
| 69 | Edwards | Hayden Edwards (1771-1849) | Empresario, declared Republic of Fredonia |
| 70 | Ellis | Richard Ellis (1781-1846) | Declaration of Independence signer, Republic Senator |
| 71 | El Paso | a local mountain pass | El Paso del Norte, Spanish for "the northern pass" |
| 72 | Erath | George B. Erath (1813-91) | Texian soldier, Republic congressman, state legislator |
| 73 | Falls | falls on the Brazos River | |
| 74 | Fannin | James W. Fannin (1805-36) | Goliad martyr |
| 75 | Fayette | Lafayette (1757-1834) | American Revolutionary War general |
| 76 | Fisher | Samuel Rhoads Fisher (1794-1839) | Texas Declaration of Independence signer, secretary of navy |
| 77 | Floyd | Dolphin W. Floyd (1804-36) | Alamo defender |
| 78 | Foard | Robert L. Foard (1831-98) | Texas officer in Confederate army |
| 79 | Fort Bend | blockhouse (small fort) on a river bend | |
| 80 | Franklin | Benjamin C. Franklin (1805-73) | Texian soldier, Republic judge, state legislator |
| 81 | Freestone | a stone used in masonry | Peaches were not grown in Texas until 25+ years after the county was named. |
| 82 | Frio | the Frio River | Spanish for "cold" |
| 83 | Gaines | James T. Gaines (1776-1856) | Texas Declaration of Independence signer, Republic senator |
| 84 | Galveston | the county seat | Viceroy Bernardo de Galvez |
| 85 | Garza | family of Jose Antonio de la Garza (1776-1851) | prominent San Antonio family |
| 86 | Gillespie | Robert A. Gillespie (1815-46) | Texas Ranger |
| 87 | Glasscock | George Washington Glasscock (1810-68) | Texian soldier, landowner, state legislator |
| 88 | Goliad | the county seat | Anagram of (H)idalgo, who inspired the Mexican War of Independence |
| 89 | Gonzales | the county seat | Mexican governor Rafael Gonzales |
| 90 | Gray | Peter W. Gray (1819-74) | Texas legislator, supreme court justice, Confederate representative |
| 91 | Grayson | Peter W. Grayson (1788-1838) | Texian soldier, Republic attorney general |
| 92 | Gregg | John Gregg (1828-1864) | Texas officer in Confederate army |
| 93 | Grimes | Jesse Grimes (1788-1866) | Texas Declaration of Independence signer, Republic senator, state legislator |
| 94 | Guadalupe | the Guadalupe River | Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexican icon |
| 95 | Hale | John C. Hale (1806-36) | Texian soldier, killed at San Jacinto |
| 96 | Hall | Warren D.C. Hall (1788-1867) | Texian soldier, Republic secretary of war |
| 97 | Hamilton | James Hamilton Jr. (1786-1857) | Governor of South Carolina, gave financial aid to the Republic |
| 98 | Hansford | John M. Hansford (?-1844) | Republic congressman and judge |
| 99 | Hardeman | Bailey (1795-1836) and T.J. Hardeman (1788-1854) | Republic officeholders |
| 100 | Hardin | family of William Hardin (1801-39) | Prominent citizens of Anahuac, Liberty, and Galveston |
| 101 | Harris | John R. Harris (1790-1829) | Settler and businessman |
| 102 | Harrison | Jonas Harrison (1777-1836) | Texian soldier |
| 103 | Hartley | Oliver C. (1823-59) and Rufus K. Hartley | State supreme court reporters |
| 104 | Haskell | Charles R. Haskell (1817-36) | Texian soldier, killed at Goliad |
| 105 | Hays | John C. Hays (1817-83) | Texas Ranger captain |
| 106 | Hemphill | John Hemphill (1803-62) | Republic supreme court chief justice, U.S. Senator |
| 107 | Henderson | James Pinckney Henderson (1808-58) | Republic attorney general, secretary of state, 1st governor, U.S. Senator |
| 108 | Hidalgo | Miguel Hidalgo (1753-1811) | Inspired the Mexican War for Independence |
| 109 | Hill | George Washington Hill (1814-1860) | Republic secretary of war, secretary of navy |
| 110 | Hockley | George Washington Hockley (1802-51) | Texian soldier, Republic secretary of war |
| 111 | Hood | John Bell Hood (1831-79) | Confederate officer from Texas |
| 112 | Hopkins | family of David Hopkins (1825-1906) | settlers |
| 113 | Houston | Sam Houston (1793-1863) | Governor of Tennessee, Texian army commander, 1st and 3rd president, 7th governor, U.S. Senator |
| 114 | Howard | Volney E. Howard (1809-89) | State attorney general, U.S. Congressman |
| 115 | Hudspeth | Claude B. Hudspeth (1877-1941) | State legislator, U.S. Congressman |
| 116 | Hunt | Memucan Hunt Jr. (1807-56) | Republic minister to U.S., secretary of navy |
| 117 | Hutchinson | Anderson Hutchinson (1798-1853) | Republic judge |
| 118 | Irion | Robert A. Irion (1804-61) | Republic secretary of state |
| 119 | Jack | Patrick (1808-44) and William (1806-44) Jack | Texas revolutionaries and Republic congressmen |
| 120 | Jackson | Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) | 7th U.S. president |
| 121 | Jasper | William Jasper (1750-79) | Hero of the American Revolution |
| 122 | Jeff Davis | Jefferson Davis (1808-89) | President of the Confederacy, U.S. secretary of war, Senator from Mississippi |
| 123 | Jefferson | Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) | 3rd U.S. president |
| 124 | Jim Hogg | James S. Hogg (1851-1906) | State attorney general, 20th governor |
| 125 | Jim Wells | James B. Wells Jr. (1850-1923) | State judge and party boss |
| 126 | Johnson | Middleton Tate Johnson (1810-66) | Republic congressman, Texas Ranger |
| 127 | Jones | Anson Jones (1798-1858) | 4th Texas president, Republic secretary of state, surgeon in Texian army |
| 128 | Karnes | Henry W. Karnes (1812-40) | Texian soldier at Battles of Bexar and San Jacinto |
| 129 | Kaufman | David S. Kaufman (1813-51) | U.S. Congressman from Texas |
| 130 | Kendall | George W. Kendall (1809-67) | Texas Ranger and war correspondent |
| 131 | Kenedy | Miflin Kenedy (1818-95) | rancher |
| 132 | Kent | Andrew Kent (179?-1836) | Alamo defender |
| 133 | Kerr | Joseph Kerr (1790-1850) | Texas Ranger, Republic congressman |
| 134 | Kimble | George C. Kimball (1803-36) | Alamo defender, led Gonzales relief force |
| 135 | King | William P. King (1820-36) | Alamo defender |
| 136 | Kinney | Henry Kinney (1814-62) | Republic congressman, Mexican-American war soldier |
| 137 | Kleberg | Robert J. Kleberg (1803-88) | Texian solder at San Jacinto |
| 138 | Knox | Henry Knox (1750-1806) | 1st U.S. secretary of war |
| 139 | Lamar | Mirabeau B. Lamar (1798-1859) | 2nd Republic president, Texian soldier, Republic soldier, U.S. ambassador to Nicaragua |
| 140 | Lamb | George A. Lamb (1814-36) | Texian soldier, died at San Jacinto |
| 141 | Lampasas | the Lampasas River | Spanish for "lillies" |
| 142 | La Salle | Robert La Salle (1643-87) | French explorer |
| 143 | Lavaca | the Lavaca River | Spanish for "the cow" |
| 144 | Lee | Robert E. Lee (1807-1870) | Confederate general |
| 145 | Leon | Martin De Leon (1765-1833) | Empresario |
| 146 | Liberty | the county seat | English translation of the Spanish town "Libertad" |
| 147 | Limestone | the indigenous rock | |
| 148 | Lipscomb | Abner S. Lipscomb (1789-1856) | Republic attorney general, state supreme court justice |
| 149 | Live Oak | the indigenous tree | |
| 150 | Llano | the Llano River | Spanish for "plains" |
| 151 | Loving | Oliver Loving (1812-67) | trail driver |
| 152 | Lubbock | Thomas S. Lubbock (1817-62) | Texian soldier, Texas Ranger, Confederate officer |
| 153 | Lynn | William Linn (?-1836) | Alamo defender |
| 154 | McCulloch | Benjamin McCulloch (1811-62) | Texian soldier, Texas Ranger, Confederate general |
| 155 | McLennan | Neil McLennan (1777?-1867) | settler |
| 156 | McMullen | John McMullen (1785-1853) | colonist |
| 157 | Madison | James Madison (1751-1836) | 4th U.S. president |
| 158 | Marion | Francis Marion (1732-95) | American Revolutionary War officer |
| 159 | Martin | Wylie Martin (1776-1842) | Texian army officer, Republic Congressman |
| 160 | Mason | the county seat | Fort Mason, named for a casualty of the Mexican-American War |
| 161 | Matagorda | the once-indigenous canebrakes | Spanish for "thick bush" |
| 162 | Maverick | Samuel Maverick (1803-70) | Texian soldier, Texas Declaration of Independence signer, land baron, mayor of San Antonio, Republic congressman, U.S. Congressman |
| 163 | Medina | the Medina River | River named after Spanish engineer Pedro Medina |
| 164 | Menard | Michael B. Menard (1805-56) | Declaration of Independence signer, Republic Congressman, founded city of Galveston |
| 165 | Midland | the county seat | Midway between Fort Worth and El Paso |
| 166 | Milam | Ben Milam (1788-1835) | Led Texian volunteers in the Battle of Bexar |
| 167 | Mills | John T. Mills (1817-71) | Republic supreme court justice |
| 168 | Mitchell | Asa (1795-1865) and Eli (1797-1870) Mitchell | Brothers, settlers, Texian soldiers, Republic officeholders |
| 169 | Montague | Daniel Montague (1798-1876) | Surveyor, land owner, state senator |
| 170 | Montgomery | the county seat | For Montgomery County, Alabama, in turn named for U.S. Major Lemuel P. Montgomery |
| 171 | Moore | Edwin W. Moore (1810-65) | Commander of Republic navy |
| 172 | Morris | William W. Morris (1805-83) | State judge and legislator |
| 173 | Motley | Junius W. Mottley (1812?-36) | Texian soldier and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence |
| 174 | Nacogdoches | the county seat | The Nacodoche tribe |
| 175 | Navarro | Jose Antonio Navarro (1795-1871) | Signer of Texas Declaration of Independence, Republic Congressman |
| 176 | Newton | John Newton (1755-80) | American Revolution soldier |
| 177 | Nolan | Philip Nolan (1771-1801) | American filibuster in Texas |
| 178 | Nueces | the Nueces River | Spanish for "nuts" |
| 179 | Ochiltree | William B. Ochiltree (1811-67) | Republic judge, secretary of treasury, U.S. Congressman |
| 180 | Oldham | William S. Oldham (1813-68) | Confederate Senator from Texas |
| 181 | Orange | an orange grove planted by settlers | |
| 182 | Palo Pinto | the Palo Pinto Creek | Spanish for "painted stick" |
| 183 | Panola | Choctaw for "cotton" | |
| 184 | Parker | Isaac Parker (1793-1883) | Texian soldier, Republic Congressman, state legislator |
| 185 | Parmer | Martin Parmer (1778-1850) | Early Texas rebel, Texas Declaration of Independence signer |
| 186 | Pecos | the Pecos River | Spanish word of unknown origin and meaning |
| 187 | Polk | James K. Polk (1795-1849) | 11th U.S. president |
| 188 | Potter | Robert Potter (1800-42) | U.S. Congressman from Tennessee, Texas Declaration of Independence signer, Republic secretary of navy, Congressman |
| 189 | Presidio | Presidio del Norte | A Spanish fort across the Rio Grande |
| 190 | Rains | Emory Rains (1800-78) | Republic senator, state legislator |
| 191 | Randall | Horace Randal (1833-64) | Confederate army colonel |
| 192 | Reagan | John H. Reagan (1818-1905) | U.S. Congressman, Confederate cabinet member, state railroad commissioner |
| 193 | Real | Julius Real (1860-1944) | State legislator |
| 194 | Red River | the Red River | |
| 195 | Reeves | George R. Reeves (1826-82) | State legislator, Confederate colonel |
| 196 | Refugio | the county seat | Mission Nuestra Senora del Refugio |
| 197 | Roberts | brothers Oran M. Roberts (1815-98) and John S. Roberts (1796-1871) | 17th governor; Declaration of Independence signer |
| 198 | Robertson | Sterling C. Robertson (1820-79) | Empresario, signer of Texas Declaration of Independence, Texas Ranger, Republic Congressman |
| 199 | Rockwall | the county seat | Subterranean rock formation |
| 200 | Runnels | Hardin R. Runnels (1820-73) | 6th governor |
| 201 | Rusk | Thomas Jefferson Rusk (1803-57) | Texian general, Republic secretary of war and congressman, U.S. Senator |
| 202 | Sabine | the Sabine River | Spanish for "cypress" |
| 203 | San Augustine | the county seat | Viceroy Agustin de Ahumada |
| 204 | San Jacinto | the battle of San Jacinto | river named after Saint Hyacinth |
| 205 | San Patricio | the county seat | Saint Patrick |
| 206 | San Saba | the San Saba River | Saint Sabbas |
| 207 | Schleicher | Gustav Schleicher (1823-79) | State legislator, Confederate officer, U.S. Congressman |
| 208 | Scurry | William R. Scurry (1821-64) | Confederate general, Republic congressman, U.S. Congressman |
| 209 | Shackelford | Jack Shackelford (1790-1857) | Texian army officer, survived Goliad massacre |
| 210 | Shelby | Isaac Shelby (1750-1826) | Governor of Kentucky, War of 1812 hero |
| 211 | Sherman | Sidney Sherman (1805-73) | Texian army officer, Republic army officer, Republic congressman |
| 212 | Smith | James Smith (1792-1854) | Texian army officer, Republic general, state legislator |
| 213 | Somervell | Alexander Somervell (1796-1854) | Texian soldier, Republic cabinet member, congressman, officer |
| 214 | Starr | James H. Starr (1809-90) | Republic secretary of the treasury, Confederate official |
| 215 | Stephens | Alexander H. Stephens (1812-83) | Confederate vice president, U.S. Congressman from Georgia |
| 216 | Sterling | W.S. Sterling (?-1881?) | Buffalo hunter and indian fighter |
| 217 | Stonewall | "Stonewall" Jackson (1824-63) | Confederate general |
| 218 | Sutton | J. S. Sutton (1817?-62) | Republic army soldier, Texas Ranger |
| 219 | Swisher | James G. Swisher (1794-1862) | Texian soldier, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence |
| 220 | Tarrant | Edward H. Tarrant (1799-1858) | Republic congressman, state legislator, indian fighter |
| 221 | Taylor | Edward (1812-36), James (1814-36), and George (1816-36) Taylor | Brothers who died at the Alamo |
| 222 | Terrell | Alexander W. Terrell (1827-1912) | Confederate officer, state legislator |
| 223 | Terry | Frank Terry (1821-61) | Texas Rangers officer |
| 224 | Throckmorton | William E. Throckmorton (1795-1843) | Settler, father of governor |
| 225 | Titus | Andrew J. Titus (1814-55) | State legislator |
| 226 | Tom Green | Tom Green (1814-64) | Texian soldier, Republic congressman, secretary of state, Confederate general from Texas |
| 227 | Travis | William B. Travis (1809-36) | Texian commander at the Alamo |
| 228 | Trinity | the Trinity River | Named after the Holy Trinity |
| 229 | Tyler | John Tyler (1790-1862) | 10th U.S. president |
| 230 | Upshur | Abel P. Upshur (1790-1844) | U.S. secretary of the Navy, secretary of state |
| 231 | Upton | John C. (1828-1862 and William F. (1832-87) Upton | Brothers who were Confederate officers from Texas |
| 232 | Uvalde | Uvalde Canyon | Spanish general Juan de Ugalde |
| 233 | Val Verde | the Battle of Valverde | Spanish for "green valley" |
| 234 | Van Zandt | Isaac Van Zandt (1813-47) | Republic congressman and ambassador to the U.S. |
| 235 | Victoria | the county seat | Guadalupe Victoria, 1st president of Mexico |
| 236 | Walker | Samuel H. Walker (1817-47) | Texas Ranger, firearm inventor |
| 237 | Waller | Edwin Waller (1800-81) | Texian soldier, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, Austin city planner and mayor |
| 238 | Ward | Thomas W. Ward (1807-72) | Texian soldier, mayor of Austin, state land office commissioner |
| 239 | Washington | George Washington (1732-99) | 1st U.S. president |
| 240 | Webb | James Webb (1792-1856) | Republic cabinet official and congressman, state judge and secretary of state |
| 241 | Wharton | William H. (1802-39) and John A. (1828-65) Wharton | Father (diplomat, Texian soldier, commissioner to the U.S., Republic senator) and son (Confederate general) |
| 242 | Wheeler | Royall T. Wheeler (1810-1864) | Republic and state Supreme Court justice |
| 243 | Wichita | the Wichita tribe | |
| 244 | Wilbarger | Josiah P. (1801-45) and Mathias (1807?-53) Wilbarger | Brothers. Josiah became famous for living 11 years after being scalpled |
| 245 | Willacy | John G. Willacy (1859-1943) | State legislator |
| 246 | Williamson | Robert A. Williamson (1804?-59) | Texian officer, Republic congressman and justice, state legislator |
| 247 | Wilson | James C. Wilson (1816-61) | Republic soldier, state legislator |
| 248 | Winkler | Clinton M. Winkler (1821-82) | State legislator and judge, Confederate officer |
| 249 | Wise | Henry A. Wise (1806-76) | U.S. Congressman from Virginia, governor of Virginia, Confederate general |
| 250 | Wood | George T. Wood (1795-1858) | 2nd governor |
| 251 | Yoakum | Henderson K. Yoakum (1810-56) | Texas historian |
| 252 | Young | William C. Young (1812-62) | Republic and U.S. soldier and U.S. marhsall |
| 253 | Zapata | Antonio Zapata y Cisneros (1800-40) | Post-Independence rebel against Santa Anna |
| 254 | Zavala | Lorenzo de Zavala (1788-1836) | Empresario, Mexican governor, Texas Declaration of Independence signer, interim Republic vice-president |
Sources:
- Dallas Morning News - The Texas Almanac 1988-1989, 1987
- Texas State Historical Association - The Handbook of Texas Online