The Most Common County Names In America

America has 30 Washington Counties, but not a single one of them is in Washington state. Add Washington Parish in Louisiana, and the name appears on 31 county or county-equivalent jurisdictions, more than any other in the country.

Can you figure out the naming convention at play here? There are 26 Jefferson Counties, 25 Franklin Counties, and 24 apiece named Jackson and Lincoln. Monroe County, New York, reaches Lake Ontario, while Monroe County, Florida, runs through the Florida Keys. Even the namesakes are not always as obvious as they seem. Some Lincoln Counties were named decades before Abraham Lincoln became president.

Washington County: 31

George Washington has an unmatched presence on the county map. Thirty states have a Washington County, while Louisiana adds Washington Parish for a total of 31 county-level jurisdictions. They occupy very different parts of the country. Washington County, Maine, lies along the Canadian border. Washington County, Oregon, sits immediately west of Portland and contains Hillsboro. Florida, Texas, and Utah have Washington Counties as well.

Washington state is the conspicuous exception. Its 39 counties include presidential names such as Jefferson and Lincoln, yet there is no Washington County. Cross the Columbia River into Oregon, though, and the name returns. Washington County, Oregon, contains Hillsboro and much of the western side of the Portland metropolitan area.

Jefferson County: 26

Twenty-five states have a Jefferson County, while Louisiana adds Jefferson Parish, putting the Jefferson name on 26 county-level jurisdictions. The name appears in very different settings. Jefferson County, New York, lies along the Canadian border, while Jefferson County, Florida, is near the Gulf Coast. The name also appears in Colorado and Washington.

Some are tied to major cities. Birmingham is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama. Louisville and Jefferson County, Kentucky, have shared a consolidated local government since 2003. Washington state's Jefferson County is geographically different from many of the others. It occupies part of the Olympic Peninsula and reaches the Pacific Ocean.

Franklin County: 25

Twenty-four of America's 25 Franklin Counties have the namesake most people would expect: Benjamin Franklin.

There are 24 Franklin Counties, while Louisiana has Franklin Parish, bringing the name to 25 county-level jurisdictions. Nearly all are connected to Benjamin Franklin. The exception is in southeastern Idaho. Franklin County, Idaho, was created in 1913 and named for Franklin D. Richards, an early leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The county government identifies it as the only Franklin County in the United States not named for Benjamin Franklin. Its county seat is Preston, near the Utah line. The town of Franklin sits farther south, only a few miles from the state border. That makes Idaho's Franklin County a one-of-a-kind break in an otherwise remarkably consistent group.

Jackson County: 24

Andrew Jackson accounts for most of the 23 Jackson Counties and Louisiana's Jackson Parish, but a road sign reading "Jackson County" does not guarantee a connection to the seventh president. Georgia is one exception. Its Jackson County was named for James Jackson, a Revolutionary War veteran and Georgia statesman who later served as governor and U.S. senator.

Minnesota has another. State sources identify Jackson County in southwestern Minnesota with Henry Jackson, an early St. Paul merchant and territorial legislator. The counties themselves also differ greatly. Jackson County, Missouri, contains much of Kansas City, including its downtown. Jackson County, Oregon, lies near the California border, with Medford as its county seat.

Lincoln County: 24

There are 23 Lincoln Counties in the United States, while Louisiana adds Lincoln Parish for a total of 24 county-level jurisdictions. Nebraska's Lincoln County belongs to the Abraham Lincoln group. Georgia's clearly does not.

Abraham Lincoln was not born until 1809. Georgia created its Lincoln County in 1796. That 13-year gap immediately rules out the president as its namesake. Georgia's county is instead named for Benjamin Lincoln, a major general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The Georgia Historical Society records both the county's 1796 creation and its connection to the general. Maine's Lincoln County, also, was established decades before Abraham Lincoln's birth.

Madison County: 20

The Madison name appears on 19 counties and Louisiana's Madison Parish, for a total of 20 county-level jurisdictions. The name generally refers to James Madison. One sits in northern Alabama, where Huntsville serves as the county seat. Another occupies part of central New York east of Syracuse. Madison County, Montana, covers part of the state's mountainous southwest. Unlike Lincoln or Jackson, Madison presents fewer competing namesake puzzles. The fourth president is the common thread across most of these jurisdictions.

Clay County: 18

Presidents aren't the only inspirations for county names. Eighteen states have a Clay County. Most are named for Henry Clay, the Kentucky statesman who spent decades in national politics as a senator, representative, speaker of the House, and secretary of state. Kentucky itself is an important exception. Clay County, Kentucky, was named for General Green Clay, a state legislator, surveyor, and military officer who was Henry Clay's cousin. The name extends well beyond Kentucky. Florida has a Clay County southwest of Jacksonville, while Missouri's Clay County covers territory immediately north of Kansas City. Minnesota has another along the North Dakota border.

Montgomery County: 18

Richard Montgomery died on December 31, 1775, during the American attack on Quebec City. The United States had not yet declared independence. Counties carrying his name nevertheless appeared across the future country. There are 18 Montgomery Counties, with Richard Montgomery serving as the namesake for most of them. At least 13 are generally identified with the Revolutionary War general.

Two sit beside major cities. Montgomery County, Maryland, borders Washington, D.C., while Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, adjoins Philadelphia County. Alabama has another prominent example. Montgomery County contains the city of Montgomery, the state capital.

Union County: 18

Union breaks the pattern, as there is no famous President Union or General Union behind its repeated appearances. Seventeen states have a Union County, while Louisiana has Union Parish. That gives the name 18 county-level jurisdictions. The jurisdictions received the name for different reasons, including references to political union, or simply the Northern contestants of the Civil War. North Carolina and South Carolina each have a Union County. One western example is Union County, Oregon, in the northeastern part of the state.

Marion County: 17

Francis Marion fought the British during the Revolutionary War, yet his surname ended up attached to counties far beyond his native South Carolina. Seventeen states have a Marion County. Indiana's is particularly prominent because it contains Indianapolis. Marion County, Florida, has Ocala as its county seat.

Oregon's Marion County has an interesting history of its own. It was originally known as Champoeg County. In 1849, it was renamed Marion County in honor of Francis Marion. Salem serves as the county seat, although part of the city crosses the Willamette River into neighboring Polk County.

Monroe County: 17

Few matching county names connect landscapes as different as the Monroes in New York and Florida. Monroe County, New York, sits along Lake Ontario and contains Rochester. Monroe County, Florida, includes the Florida Keys and Key West. They share a namesake in James Monroe, the fifth U.S. president. Fifteen other states also have a Monroe County, bringing the national total to 17.

Greene County: 16

One letter makes all the difference when counting Greene Counties. Fourteen states have a Greene County, generally named for Nathanael Greene, one of George Washington's leading generals during the Revolutionary War. Kentucky and Wisconsin might appear to add two more until the spelling is checked. Both have Green County, without the final "e." Those belong to a separate name group, leaving Greene at 14. The distinction is particularly easy to miss because Kentucky's Green County was itself named for Nathanael Greene.

Wayne County: 16

Detroit sits in Wayne County, Michigan, but the name is hardly exclusive to Michigan. There are 16 Wayne Counties in the country, most honoring Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. Pennsylvania has one in the northeastern part of the state, while New York's Wayne County reaches the southern shore of Lake Ontario. Anthony Wayne's military career continued after the Revolution. In the 1790s, he commanded U.S. forces in the Northwest Indian War and led the army at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in present-day Ohio.

The Names That Keep Reappearing On The Map

The five names above account for 130 county and county-equivalent jurisdictions: Washington has 31, Jefferson has 26, and Franklin has 25. Jackson and Lincoln each add 24. While most have a common historical namesake, some county name origins are more distinct. Georgia's Lincoln County is older than Abraham Lincoln. Idaho has the country's only Franklin County not named for Benjamin Franklin. Green and Greene count separately because of a single letter. Meanwhile, Washington's name appears on 30 counties and one Louisiana parish, yet not one of them is in the state of Washington.