Welcome to Mississippi Trails to the Past!
Mississippi Counties
County |
County
Seat |
Origin |
Etymology |
Map |
Adams |
Natchez |
One of two
original counties |
John Adams,
2nd US Pres. |
|
Alcorn |
Corinth |
Formed from
Tippah and Tishomingo |
James L.
Alcorn, Reconstruction era US Senator from MS |
|
Amite |
Liberty |
Formed from
Wilkinson County |
Amite River |
|
Attala |
Kosciusko |
Formed from
Madison County |
Native
American heroine from an early 19th
Century novel by Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand |
|
Benton |
Ashland |
Formed from
Marshall and Tippah Counties |
Thomas Hart
Benton, US Senator from MO and prominent
westward expansion advocate |
|
Bolivar |
Cleveland And Rosedale |
Formed from
Tallahatchie and Washington counties |
Simon
Bolivar, South American democratic revolutionary |
|
Calhoun |
Pittsboro |
Formed from
Chickasaw, Lafayette and Yalobusha Counties |
John C.
Calhoun, US Senator from South Carolina and
prominent supporter of states’ rights |
|
Carroll |
Carrollton
and Vaiden |
Formed from
Lowndes, Monroe, Washington and Yazoo Counties |
Charles
Carroll, last surviving signer of the
Declaration of Independence |
|
Chickasaw |
Houston and
Okolona |
Formed from
Monroe County and Un-Organized |
Chickasaw
Native Americans |
|
Choctaw |
Ackerman |
Formed form
Lowndes, Madison, Monroe and Yazoo Counties |
Choctaw
Native Americans |
|
Claiborne |
Port Gibson |
Formed from
Jefferson (Pickering) County |
William C.C.
Claiborne Governor of the Mississippi Territory |
|
Clarke |
Quitman |
Formed from
Wayne County |
Joshua G.
Clark, the 1st elected judge
following admittance to the Union |
|
Clay |
West Point |
Formed from
Chickasaw, Lowndes, Monroe and Okitibbeha
Counties (formerly Colfax County) |
Henry Clay,
US Senator from KY and giant of 19th
century politics |
|
Coahoma |
Clarksdale |
Formed from
Un-Organized |
Derives from
Native American word meaning “red panther” |
|
Copiah |
Hazlehurst |
Formed from
Franklin and Hinds Counties |
Derives from
Native American word meaning “calling panther” |
|
Covington |
Collins |
Formed from
Lawrence and Wayne Counties |
Leonard
Covington, War of 1812 General |
|
De Soto |
Hernando |
Formed from
Monroe and Washington Counties |
Hernando de
Soto, Spanish explorer of the Americas |
|
Forrest |
Hattiesburg |
Formed from
Perry County |
Nathan
Bedford Forrest, Confederate general during the
American Civil War |
|
Franklin |
Meadville |
Formed from
Adams County |
Benjamin
Franklin, writer, orator, publisher and US
Founding Father |
|
George |
Lucedale |
Formed from
Greene and Jackson Counties |
James Z.
George, US Senator from MS |
|
Greene |
Leakesville |
Formed from
Wayne County |
Nathanael
Greene, American Revolutionary War General |
|
Grenada |
Grenada |
Formed from
Carroll, Choctaw, Tallahatchie and Yalobusha
Counties |
Spanish
province of Grenada |
|
Hancock |
Bay Saint
Louis |
Formed from
Un-Organized |
John
Hancock, first signer of the Declaration of
Independence |
|
Harrison |
Gulfport and
Biloxi |
Formed from
Hancock County |
William
Henry Harrison, 9th US President |
|
Hinds |
Jackson and
Raymond |
Formed from
Un-Organized (Choctaw Cession of 1820) |
Thomas
Hinds, War of 1812 General |
|
Holmes |
Lexington |
Formed from
Yazoo County |
David
Holmes, first Governor of MS |
|
Humphreys |
Belzoni |
Formed from
Holmes, Sunflower, Washington and Yazoo Counties |
Benjamin G.
Humphreys, Reconstruction era Governor of MS |
|
Issaquena |
Mayersville |
Formed from
Washington County |
Native
American word for “Deer River” |
|
Itawamba |
Fulton |
Formed from
Monroe County |
Itawamba, a
Chickasaw Chief |
|
Jackson |
Pascagoula |
Formed from
Un-Organized |
Andrew
Jackson, War of 1812 hero and 7th US
President |
|
Jasper |
Bay
Springs and Paulding |
Formed form
Jones and Wayne Counties |
William
Jasper, Revolutionary War Sergant |
|
Jefferson |
Fayette |
One of the
two original counties (formerly Pickering) |
Thomas
Jefferson, 3rd US President and
principal author of the Declaration of
Independence |
|
Jefferson
Davis |
Prentiss |
Formed from
Covington and Lawrence Counties |
Jefferson
Davis, only President of the Confederate States
of America |
|
Jones |
Laurel and
Ellisville |
Formed from
Covington and Wayne Counties (formerly
Davis/1865-1869/Civil War) |
John Paul
Jones, Revolutionary War Naval Captain |
|
Kemper |
DeKalb |
Formed from
Lowndes, Rankin and Wayne Counties |
Reuben
Kemper, American pioneer and revolutionary in
Spanish Florida |
|
Lafayette |
Oxford |
Formed from
Monroe County |
Marquis de
la Fayette, French born Revolutionary War
General |
|
Lamar |
Purvis |
Formed from
Marion and Pearl River Counties |
Lucius Q.C.
Lamar, US Senator from MS and US Secretary of
the Interior |
|
Lauderdale |
Meridian |
Formed from
Rankin and Wayne Counties |
James
Lauderdale, War of 1812 Colonel |
|
Lawrence |
Monticello |
Formed from
Marion County |
James
Lawrence, War of 1812 Naval Captain |
|
Leake |
Carthage |
Formed from
Madison and Rankin Counties |
Walter Leake,
Governor of MS |
|
Lee |
Tupelo |
Formed from
Itawamba and Pontotoc Counties |
Robert E.
Lee, Commanding Confederate General |
|
Leflore |
Greenwood |
Formed from
Carroll and Sunflower Counties |
Greenwood
LeFlore, mixed race advocate of citizenship for
Native Americans and US Senator for MS |
|
Lincoln |
Brookhaven |
Formed from
Amite, Copiah, Franklin, Lawrence and Pike
Counties |
Abraham
Lincoln, 16th US President |
|
Lowndes 1830 |
Columbus |
Formed from
Monroe County and Un-Organized |
William
Jones Lowndes, US Representative from SC |
|
Madison |
Canton |
Formed from
Yazoo County |
James
Madison, 4th US President |
|
Marion |
Columbia |
Formed from
Amite, Franklin and Wayne Counties |
Francis
Marion, Revolutionary War General |
|
Marshall 1836 |
Holly
Springs |
Formed from
Monroe County |
John
Marshall, Chief Justice of the US who shaped the
Supreme Court’s power |
|
Monroe |
Aberdeen |
Formed from
Un-Organized (Chickasaw Cession of 1816) |
James
Monroe, 5th President of US |
|
Montgomery |
Winona |
Formed from
Carroll and Choctaw Counties |
Richard
Montgomery, Revolutionary War General |
|
Neshoba |
Philadelphia |
Formed from
Jones, Madison, Rankin and Wayne Counties |
Native
American word for “Grey Wolf” |
|
Newton |
Decatur |
Formed from
Neshoba County |
Isaac
Newton, English Scientist |
|
Noxubee |
Macon |
Formed from
Lowndes and Rankin Counties |
Native
American word for “stinking water” |
|
Oktibbeha |
Starkville |
Formed from
Lowndes County |
Native
American word for “Bloody Water” |
|
Panola |
Batesville
and Sardis |
Formed from
Monroe and Washington Counties |
Native
American word for “Cotton” |
|
Pearl River |
Poplerville |
Formed from
Hancock and Marion Counties |
The Pearl
River |
|
Perry County |
New Augusta |
Formed from
Greene County |
Oliver
Hazzard Perry, War of 1812 Naval Captain |
|
Pike County |
Magnolia |
Formed from
Marion County |
Zebulon
Pike, Western Explorer |
|
Pontotoc |
Pontotoc |
Formed from
Monroe County |
Native
American word for “Land of Hanging Grapes” |
|
Prentiss |
Booneville |
Formed from
Itawamba and Tishomingo Counties |
Seargent
Smith Prentiss, US Representative from MS |
|
Quitman |
Marks |
Formed from
Coahoma, Panola, Tallahatchie and Tunica
Counties |
John A.
Quitman, Governor of MS |
|
Rankin |
Brandon |
Formed from
Hinds County |
Christopher
Rankin, US Representative from MS |
|
Scott |
Forest |
Formed from
Covington, Jones and Rankin Counties |
Abram M.
Scott, Governor of MS |
|
Sharkey |
Rolling Fork |
Formed from
Issaquena, Warren and Washigton Counties |
William L.
Sharkey, MS Supreme Court Justice |
|
Simpson |
Mendenhall |
Formed from
Copiah County |
Josiah
Simpson, first Federal Judge appointed in the
state |
|
Smith |
Raleigh |
Formed from
Covington, Jones and Rankin Counties |
David Smith,
Revolutionary War Major |
|
Stone |
Wiggins |
Formed from
Harrison County |
John M.
Stone, Governor of MS |
|
Sunflower |
Indianola |
Formed from
Bolivar County |
The
Sunflower River |
|
Tallahatchie |
Charleston
and Sumner |
Formed from
Washington and Yazoo Counties |
The
Tallahatchie River |
|
Tate |
Senatobia |
Formed from
DeSoto and Marshall Counties |
Thomas
Simpson Tate, the county’s original settler |
|
Tippah |
Ripley |
Formed from
Monroe County |
Native
American word for “Cut Off” |
|
Tishomingo |
Iuka |
Formed from
Monroe County |
Chief
Tishomingo, Chickasaw Leader |
|
Tunica |
Tunica |
Formed from
Washington County and Un-Organized |
Tunica
Native Americans |
|
Union |
New Albany |
Formed from
Lee, Pontotoc and Tippah Counties |
Reunion of
Confederacy with the US |
|
Walthall |
Tylertown |
Formed from
Marion and Pike Counties |
Edward
Walthall, US Senator from MS |
|
Warren |
Vicksburg |
Formed from
Claiborne County |
Joseph
Warren, Revolutionary War General |
|
Washington |
Greenville |
Formed from
Warren and Yazoo Counties |
George
Washington, 1st US President |
|
Wayne |
Waynesboro |
Formed from
Washington County (AL) |
Anthony
Wayne, Revolutionary War General |
|
Webster |
Walthall |
Formed from
Chickasaw, Choctaw and Montgomery Counties
(formerly Sumner County) |
Daniel
Webster, US Senator from MA and giant of 19th
Century politics |
|
Wilkinson |
Woodville |
Formed from
Adams County |
James
Wilkinson, Revolutionary War General |
|
Winston |
Louisville |
Formed from
Lowndes, Rankin and Wayne Counties |
Louis
Winston, MS Supreme Court Justice |
|
Yalobusha |
Water Valley
and Coffeeville |
Formed from
Monroe, Washington and Yazoo Counties |
Native
American word for “Tadpole Place” |
|
Yazoo |
Yazoo City |
Formed from
Hinds County |
Yazoo Native
Americans |
|
Former Counties
Bainbridge (1823-1824) formed from Covington County and
dissolved into Covington.
Pearl (1872-1878) formed from Hancock and dissolved into
both Hancock and Marion.
Does not include counties that are now in AL.
Courtesy of Wikipedia