Kansas Counties
Kansas currently has 105 counties; 28 other counties have existed but
are now defunct due to name changes, reorganizations, or mergers and
splits.
Find information on current and defunct counties:
Kansas County Names
Counties Named for Indian Tribes
Other Counties With Indian Names
- Nemaha, probably from the Otoe
word Ne-ma-ha, meaning 'muddy water' or 'swampy water.'
- Neosho, most likely from the
Osage word ne-o-zho or ne-u-zhu, meaning clear water.
- Peketon (defunct), origin uncertain,
possibly from a Sac Indian word meaning flat land.
- Republic County is named indirectly
for the Pawnee Republic, a major division of the Pawnee tribe.
- Sequoyah (defunct), in honor
of the Cherokee Indian leader Sequoyah (1776-1843).
- Wabaunsee, named for the Pottawatomie
chief Wah-Bahn-Se (1760s?-1845 or 6)
Counties Named for Kansas Territorial and Pre-Territorial Residents
Counties Named for Prominent Kansans
Counties Named for U.S. Presidents
Counties Named for Statesmen and Political Figures Outside Kansas
Counties Named for Civil War Soldiers
Counties Named for Other Soldiers
Counties Named for Women
Barton County is the only current
Kansas county named for a woman. It is named for Clara Harlowe Barton
(1821-1912), Civil War nurse and founder of the American Red Cross.
Shirley County (defunct) may have
been named as a joke for Jane Shirley, a lady of questionable character
in the Leavenworth area, although other versions of its origin exist.
Counties Named for Writers and Journalists
Counties Named After Other Places
- Bourbon County is named for
the Kentucky county of that name.
- Chautauqua County was named
for a county in New York.
Other County Names
Saline County is named for the
Saline ('salty') River.
Buffalo (defunct) County was named
after the American bison.
Elk County was named for the Elk
River, itself named after the animal.
Defunct county history additions made possible in part by volunteer
Jim Huss.
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