List of Texas county name etymologies (K to Z)

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This is a list of Texas county name etymologies. Many Texas counties are named for figures in the Texas Revolution, especially defenders of the Alamo and signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Several counties are also named in honor of early government leaders and secretaries. There are also several counties named after Confederate political and military leaders. Other county names refer to rivers or Native American tribes.

This list covers the alphabetical last half (127 out of 254) of the counties of Texas. For the counties of Texas with names beginning with the letters A to J, see List of Texas county name etymologies (A to J).

This page is still under construction. Any submissions are very helpful.

Counties, by first letter

K

• Karnes County, Texas: Karnes was named for Henry Wax Karnes, a soldier in the Texas Revolution.

• Kaufman County, Texas: Kaufman was named for David Spangler Kaufman, a Jewish Texas state senator and member of the United States House of Representatives.

• Kendall County, Texas: Kendall was named for George Wilkins Kendall, an early journalist and sheepman.

• Kenedy County, Texas: Kenedy was named for Mifflin Kenedy, an early rancher in the area.

• Kent County, Texas: Kent was named for Andrew Kent, who died at the Battle of the Alamo.

• Kerr County, Texas: Kerr was named for James Kerr, an early colonist in Texas and soldier in the Texas Revolution.

• Kimble County, Texas: Kimble was named for George C. Kimbell, who died at the Alamo. The reason the county name differs is due to the fact that the bill creating the county misspelled Kimbell's name. (It is not certain what his middle initial stands for.)

• King County, Texas: King was named for William Phillip King, who lost his life in the Battle of the Alamo.

• Kinney County, Texas: Kinney was named for Henry Lawrence Kinney, an unsuccessful land speculator.

• Kleberg County, Texas: Kleberg was named for Robert Justus Kleberg, an early German settler and soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto.

• Knox County, Texas: Knox was named for Henry Knox, the first secretary of war of the United States.

L

• La Salle County, Texas: La Salle was named for René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, the French explorer who traveled through the Texas coast near the future county.

• Lamar County, Texas: Lamar is named for Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, the third president of the Republic of Texas.

• Lamb County, Texas: Lamb is named for George A. Lamb, who lost his life at the Battle of San Jacinto. (It is not certain what his middle initial stands for.)

• Lampasas County, Texas: Lampasas is named for the Lampasas River.

• Lavaca County, Texas: Lavaca is named for the Lavaca River.

• Lee County, Texas: Lee is named for Robert Edward Lee, the commanding general of the Confederate forces during the Civil War.

• Leon County, Texas: Leon is named for either Martin De Leon, the founder of Victoria, Texas, or a yellow wolf which lived in the area and was nicknamed "lion" ("leon" in Spanish).

• Liberty County, Texas: Liberty is named for

• Limestone County, Texas: Limestone is named for

• Lipscomb County, Texas: Lipscomb is named for Abner Smith Lipscomb, an early Texas lawyer, justice of the Texas Supreme Court and secretary of state of the Republic of Texas.

• Live Oak County, Texas: Live Oak is named for the live oak tree which the petition for a new county was signed under.

• Llano County, Texas: Llano is named for the Llano River.

• Loving County, Texas: Loving is named for Oliver Loving, a cattle herder who was killed in a Native American raid on his herd.

• Lubbock County, Texas: Lubbock is named for Thomas Saltus Lubbock, a Texas Ranger and soldier in the Confederate army during the Civil War. Thomas Lubbock also was the brother of Francis Richard Lubbock, the ninth governor of Texas.

• Lynn County, Texas: Lynn is named for

M

• Madison County, Texas: Madison is named for James Madison, the fourth president of the United States.

• Marion County, Texas: Marion is named for Francis Marion, the Revolutionary War general who was nicknamed the "Swamp Fox".

• Martin County, Texas: Martin is named for Wylie Martin, an early settler in Texas.

• Mason County, Texas: Mason is named for Fort Mason which was located in the future county.

• Matagorda County, Texas: Matagorda is named for the canebrakes that once lined the Gulf of Mexico coastline (Matagorda is Spanish for "thick bush").

• Maverick County, Texas: Maverick is named for Samuel Augustus Maverick, an early legislator and later rancher near the future county. From his name is derived the word "maverick" due to his practice of not branding his cattle.

• McCulloch County, Texas: McCulloch is named for Benjamin McCulloch, a famous Texas Ranger and Confederate general.

• McLennan County, Texas: McLennan is named for Neil McLennan, an early settler in the future county.

• McMullen County, Texas: McMullen is named for John McMullen, an Irish founder of a colony in Texas.

• Medina County, Texas: Medina is named for the Medina River.

• Menard County, Texas: Menard is named for Michel Branamour Menard, the founder of Galveston, Texas.

• Midland County, Texas: Midland is named for its location midway between Fort Worth and El Paso on the Texas and Pacific Railroad.

• Milam County, Texas: Milam is named for Benjamin Rush Milam, an early Texas colonizer and soldier in the early Texas Revolution, who was killed in a successful siege of San Antonio, Texas.

• Mills County, Texas: Mills is named for John T. Mills, an early judge in Texas. (It is not certain what his middle initial stands for.)

• Mitchell County, Texas: Mitchell is named for Asa Mitchell and Eli Mitchell, two early settlers and soldiers in the Texas Revolution.

• Montague County, Texas: Montague is named for Daniel Montague, a state senator and early surveyor in the future county.

• Montgomery County, Texas: Montgomery is named for Montgomery, Texas, which was the largest settlement in the county when it was formed.

• Moore County, Texas: Moore is named for Edwin Ward Moore, the commodore of the Texan navy during the Republic of Texas.

• Morris County, Texas: Morris is named for William Wright Morris, a legislator and planter in the area.

• Motley County, Texas: Motley is named for Junius William Mottley, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence who was killed at the Battle of San Jacinto. The reason the county name differs is due to the fact that the bill creating the county misspelled Mottley's name.

N

• Nacogdoches County, Texas: Nacogdoches is named for

• Navarro County, Texas: Navarro is named for José Antonio Navarro, a leading Tejano participant in the Texas Revolution and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.

• Newton County, Texas: Newton is named for John Newton, a veteran of the Revolutionary War.

• Nolan County, Texas: Nolan is named for Philip Nolan, a mustanger who was killed by Spanish troops in 1801 while on a mission into Texas for uncertain reasons.

• Nueces County, Texas: Nueces is named for the Nueces River.

O

• Ochiltree County, Texas: Ochiltree is named for William Beck Ochiltree, an early settler in Texas, judge, and legislator.

• Oldham County, Texas: Oldham is named for Williamson Simpson Oldham, a Confederate legislator in Texas.

• Orange County, Texas: Orange is named for

P

• Palo Pinto County, Texas: Palo Pinto is named for the Palo Pinto Creek.

• Panola County, Texas: Panola is named for a Native American word meaning "cotton".

• Parker County, Texas: Parker is named for Isaac Parker, an early legislator in the state. He also was the uncle of Cynthia Ann Parker and thus the great-uncle of Quanah Parker.

• Parmer County, Texas: Parmer is named for Martin Parmer, an early legislator, judge, and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.

• Pecos County, Texas: Pecos is named for the Pecos River.

• Polk County, Texas: Polk is named for James Knox Polk, the eleventh president of the United States.

• Potter County, Texas: Potter is named for Robert Potter, an early legislator, secretary of the navy for the Republic of Texas, and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence who was killed in the Regulator-Moderator War.

• Presidio County, Texas: Presidio is named for

R

• Rains County, Texas: Rains is named for

• Randall County, Texas: Randall is named for

• Reagan County, Texas: Reagan is named for

• Real County, Texas: Real is named for

• Red River County, Texas: Red River is named for

• Reeves County, Texas: Reeves is named for

• Refugio County, Texas: Refugio is named for

• Roberts County, Texas: Roberts is named for

• Robertson County, Texas: Robertson is named for

• Rockwall County, Texas: Rockwall is named for

• Runnels County, Texas: Runnels is named for

• Rusk County, Texas: Rusk is named for

S

• Sabine County, Texas: Sabine is named for

• San Augustine County, Texas: San Augustine is named for

• San Jacinto County, Texas: San Jacinto is named for

• San Patricio County, Texas: San Patricio is named for

• San Saba County, Texas: San Saba is named for

• Schleicher County, Texas: Schleicher is named for

• Scurry County, Texas: Scurry is named for

• Shackelford County, Texas: Shackelford is named for

• Shelby County, Texas: Shelby is named for

• Sherman County, Texas: Sherman is named for

• Smith County, Texas: Smith is named for

• Somervell County, Texas: Somervell is named for

• Starr County, Texas: Starr is named for

• Stephens County, Texas: Stephens is named for

• Sterling County, Texas: Sterling is named for

• Stonewall County, Texas: Stonewall is named for

• Sutton County, Texas: Sutton is named for

• Swisher County, Texas: Swisher is named for

T

• Tarrant County, Texas: Tarrant is named for

• Taylor County, Texas: Taylor is named for

• Terrell County, Texas: Terrell is named for

• Terry County, Texas: Terry is named for

• Throckmorton County, Texas: Throckmorton is named for

• Titus County, Texas: Titus is named for

• Tom Green County, Texas: Tom Green is named for

• Travis County, Texas: Travis is named for

• Trinity County, Texas: Trinity is named for

• Tyler County, Texas: Tyler is named for

U

• Upshur County, Texas: Upshur is named for

• Upton County, Texas: Upton is named for

• Uvalde County, Texas: Uvalde is named for

V

• Val Verde County, Texas: Val Verde is named for

• Van Zandt County, Texas: Van Zandt is named for

• Victoria County, Texas: Victoria is named for

W

• Walker County, Texas: Walker is named for

• Waller County, Texas: Waller is named for

• Ward County, Texas: Ward is named for

• Washington County, Texas: Washington is named for

• Webb County, Texas: Webb is named for

• Wharton County, Texas: Wharton is named for

• Wheeler County, Texas: Wheeler is named for

• Wichita County, Texas: Wichita is named for

• Wilbarger County, Texas: Wilbarger is named for

• Willacy County, Texas: Willacy is named for

• Williamson County, Texas: Williamson is named for

• Wilson County, Texas: Wilson is named for

• Winkler County, Texas: Winkler is named for

• Wise County, Texas: Wise is named for

• Wood County, Texas: Wood is named for

Y

• Yoakum County, Texas: Yoakum is named for

• Young County, Texas: Young is named for

Z

• Zapata County, Texas: Zapata is named for Antonio Zapata, a local rancher and rebel against the Mexican government.

• Zavala County, Texas: Zavala is named for Lorenzo de Zavala, a Mexican rancher and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.

See also

• Texas
• List of Texas counties
• County (United States)

Source:

• The Handbook of Texas Online