History and Facts of Mississippi Counties
Mississippi Counties –The Mississippi Territory was created on April 7, 1798. The State of Mississippi was founded as the 20th state on Dec. 10, 1817. Mississippi has 82 Counties. States bordering Mississippi are Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana.
List of Mississippi Counties
Mississippi is divided into 82 counties.
| County | Created | Created From | Named For | County Seat | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 02 Apr 1799 | Natchez District | In honor of John Adams, the second President of the United States (1797-1801) | Natchez | |
| Alcorn County | 15 Apr 1870 | Tippiah and Tishomingo Counties | In honor of James L. Alcorn, a Reconstruction-era U.S. Senator from Mississippi | Corinth | |
| Amite County | 24 Feb 1809 | Wilkinson County | Amite River | Liberty | Parts of the county were used to create Pike County, Marion County, Perry County, Greene County and Lamar County |
| Attala County | 23 Dec 1833 | Madison County | A fictional Native American heroine from an early 19th-century novel by François-René de Chateaubriand | Kosciusko | |
| Benton County | 15 Jul 1870 | Marshall and Tippah Counties | In honor of Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. Senator from Missouri and prominent westward expansion advocate | Ashland | |
| Bolivar County | 09 Feb 1836 | Tallahatchie and Washington Counties | In honor of Simon Bolivar, South American democratic revolutionary | Cleveland and Rosedale | |
| Calhoun County | 08 Mar 1852 | Chickasaw, Lafayette, and Yalobusha Counties | in honor of John C. Calhoun, U.S. Senator from South Carolina and prominent supporter of states' rights | Pittsboro | |
| Carroll County | 23 Dec 1833 | Lowndes, Monroe, Washington, and Yazoo Counties | In honor of Charles Carroll, last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence | Carrollton and Vaiden | |
| Chickasaw County | 09 Feb 1836 | Monroe County and and Unorganized Land | In honor of Chickasaw Native Americans | Houston | |
| Choctaw County | 23 Dec 1833 | Lowndes, Madison, Monroe, and Yazoo Counties | In honor of Choctaw Native Americans | Ackerman | |
| Claiborne County | 27 Jan 1802 | Jefferson County | In honor of William C. C. Claiborne, first Governor of Louisiana | Port Gibson | |
| Clarke County | 23 Dec 1833 | Wayne County | In honor of Joshua G. Clark, the first elected judge following admittance to the Union | Quitman | |
| Clay County | 12 May 1871 | Chickasaw, Lowndes, Monroe, and Oktibbeha Counties | In honor of Henry Clay; a U.S. Senator from Kentucky and giant of Nineteenth Century politics | West Point | |
| Coahoma County | 09 Feb 1836 | Unorganized Land | Derives from Native American word meaning "red panther" | Clarksdale | |
| Copiah County | 18 Oct 1820 | Franklin and Hinds Counties | derives from Native American word meaning "calling panther" | Hazlehurst | |
| Covington County | 05 Jan 1819 | Lawrence and Wayne Counties | In honor of Leonard Covington, a brigadier general in the American Revolutionary War | Collins | |
| Desoto County | 09 Feb 1836 | Monroe and Washington Counties | In honor of Hernando de Soto, Spanish explorer of the Americas | Hernando | |
| Forrest County | 19 Apr 1906 | Perry County | In honor of Nathan B. Forrest, a Confederate general in the cavalry during the American Civil War | Hattiesburg | |
| Franklin County | 21 Dec 1809 | Adams County | In honor of Benjamin Franklin; writer, orator, publisher, and U.S. founding father | Meadville | |
| George County | 16 Mar 1910 | Greene and Jackson Counties | In honor of James Z. George, a U.S. Senator from Mississippi | Lucedale | |
| Greene County | 09 Dec 1811 | Wayne County | In honor of Nathanael Greene, a major general during the American Revolutionary War | Leakesville | |
| Grenada County | 09 May 1870 | Carroll, Choctaw, Tallahatchie, and Yalobusha Counties | Spanish province of Grenada | Grenada | |
| Hancock County | 14 Dec 1812 | Unorganized Land | In honor of John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence | Bay Saint Louis | |
| Harrison County | 05 Feb 1841 | Hancock County | In honor of William Henry Harrison, ninth President of the United States (1841). He died of pneumonia thirty-one days into his term | Gulfport and Biloxi | |
| Hinds County | 12 Feb 1821 | Unorganized Land | in honor of Thomas Hinds, a general in the War of 1812, and served in the U.S. Congress (1828-31) | Jackson and Raymond | |
| Holmes County | 19 Feb 1833 | Yazoo County | In honor of David Holmes, first Governor of Mississippi | Lexington | |
| Humphreys County | 28 Mar 1918 | Holmes, Sunflower, Washington, and Yazoo Counties | In honor of Benjamin G. Humphreys, a Reconstruction-era Governor of Mississippi | Belzoni | |
| Issaquena County | 23 Jan 1844 | Washington County | Native American word for "Deer River" | Mayersville | |
| Itawamba County | 09 Feb 1836 | Monroe County | In honor of Itawamba, a Chickasaw chief | Fulton | |
| Jackson County | 14 Dec 1812 | Unorganized Land | In honor of Andrew Jackson, a War of 1812 hero and the seventh President of the United States (1829-1837) | Pascagoula | |
| Jasper County | 13 Dec 1833 | Jones and Wayne Counties | In honor of William Jasper, a sergeant in the American Revolutionary War | Bay Springs | |
| Jefferson County | 02 Apr 1799 | One of two original counties | In honor of Thomas Jefferson; third President of the United States (1801-1809), and principal author of the Declaration of Independence | Fayette | Formed as Pickering County and renamed in 1802 |
| Jeffrson Davis County | 31 Mar 1906 | Covington and Lawrence Counties | In honor of Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), only president of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War | Prentiss | |
| Jones County | 24 Jan 1826 | Covington and Wayne Counties | In honor of John Paul Jones, an American Revolutionary War naval captain | Laurel | |
| Kemper County | 23 Dec 1833 | Lowndes, Rankin, and Wayne Counties | In honor of Reuben Kemper; American pioneer and revolutionary in Spanish Florida | De Kalb | |
| Lafayette County | 09 Feb 1836 | Monroe County | In honor of Major General Marquis de la Fayette, a French-born American Revolutionary War general | Oxford | |
| Lamar County | 13 Mar 1904 | Marion and Pearl River Counties | In honor of Lucius Q. C. Lamar, U.S. Senator from Mississippi and U.S. Secretary of Interior | Purvis | |
| Lauderdale County | 23 Dec 1833 | Rankin and Wayne Counties | In honor of Colonel James Lauderdale, died during the first Battle of New Orleans in December 1814 during the War of 1812 | Meridian | |
| Lawrence County | 22 Dec 1814 | Marion County | In honor of Captain James Lawrence, naval officer during the War of 1812. He is probably best known today for his last words or "dying command" "Don't give up the ship!" | Monticello | |
| Leake County | 23 Dec 1833 | Madison and Rankin Counties | In honor of Walter Leake, the third governor of Mississippi (1822-1825) | Carthage | |
| Lee County | 10 Dec 1866 | Itawamba and Pontotoc Counties | In honor of General Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War | Tupelo | |
| Leflore County | 15 Mar 1871 | Carroll and Sunflower Counties | In honor of Greenwood LeFlore; a mixed-race advocate of citizenship for Native Americans and U.S. Senator from Mississippi | Greenwood | |
| Lincoln County | 07 Apr 1870 | Amite, Copiah, Franklin, Lawrence, and Pike Counties | In honor of Abraham Lincoln; sixteenth President of the United States (1861-1865) who led the nation through the American Civil War | Brookhaven | |
| Lowndes County | 30 Jan 1830 | Monroe County and Unorganized Land | In honor of William Jones Lowndes, a U.S. Representative from South Carolina | Columbus | |
| Madison County | 29 Jan 1828 | Yazoo County | in honor of James Madison; fourth President of the United States (1809-1817), a Founding Father, and hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" | Canton | |
| Marion County | 09 Dec 1811 | Amite, Franklin, and Wayne Counties | In honor of Francis Marion; a brigadier general during the American Revolutionary War and nicknamed the "Swamp Fox" | Columbia | |
| Marshall County | 09 Feb 1836 | Monroe County | In honor of John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States who shaped the Supreme Court's power | Holly Springs | |
| Monroe County | 09 Feb 1821 | Unorganized Land | In honor of James Monroe; American statesman, a Founding Father, and the fifth president of the United States from (1817-1825) | Aberdeen | Chickasaw Cession of 1816 |
| Montgomery County | 13 May 1871 | Carroll and Choctaw Counties | In honor of Richard Montgomery; an Irish soldier who became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War | Winona | |
| Neshoba County | 23 Dec 1833 | Jones, Madison, Rankin, and Wayne Counties | Native American word for "gray wolf" | Philadelphia | |
| Newton County | 25 Feb 1836 | Neshoba County | In honor of Isaac Newton (1642-1726); an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, theologian, and author | Decatur | |
| Noxubee County | 23 Dec 1833 | Lowndes and Rankin Counties | Native American for "stinking water" | Macon | |
| Oktibbeha County | 23 Dec 1833 | Lowndes County | Native American word for "bloody water" | Starkville | |
| Panola County | 09 Feb 1836 | Monroe and Washington Counties | Native American for "cotton" | Batesville | |
| Pearl River County | 22 Feb 1890 | Hancock and Marion Counties | Pearl River, which forms its western boundary and separates it from Louisiana | Poplarville | |
| Perry County | 03 Feb 1820 | Greene County | In honor of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, a War of 1812 naval commander | New Augusta | |
| Pike County | 09 Feb 1815 | Marion County | In honor of Zebulon Pike, a western explorer | Magnolia | |
| Pontotoc County | 09 Feb 1836 | Monroe County | Native American for "land of hanging grapes" | Pontotoc | |
| Prentiss County | 15 Apr 1870 | Itawamba and Tishomingo Counties | In honor of Seargent Smith Prentiss, U.S. Representative from Mississippi | Booneville | |
| Quitman County | 01 Feb 1877 | Coahoma, Panola, Tallahatchie, and Tunica Counties | In honor of John A. Quitman, a governor of Mississippi (1835-36 and 1850-51) | Marks | |
| Rankin County | 04 Feb 1828 | Hinds County | In honor of Christopher Rankin, a U.S. Representative from Mississippi | Brandon | |
| Scott County | 23 Dec 1833 | Covington, Jones, and Rankin Counties | In honor of Abram M. Scott, the 7th Governor of Mississippi (1832-33) | Forest | |
| Sharkey County | 29 Mar 1876 | Issaquena, Warren, and Washington Counties | In honor of William L. Sharkey, a Mississippi Supreme Court justice | Rolling Fork | |
| Simpson County | 23 Jan 1824 | Copiah County | In honor of Josiah Simpson, the first federal judge appointed in the state | Mendenhall | |
| Smith County | 23 Dec 1833 | Covington, Jones, and Rankin Counties | In honor of David Smith, a major in the American Revolutionary War major | Raleigh | |
| Stone County | 06 Jan 1916 | Harrison County | In honor of John M. Stone, the 31st Governor of Mississippi (1876-82) | Wiggins | |
| Sunflower County | 15 Feb 1844 | Bolivar County | Sunflower River | Indianola | |
| Tallahatchie County | 31 Dec 1833 | Washington and Yazoo Counties | Tallahatchie River | Charleston | |
| Tate County | 23 Dec 1873 | DeSoto and Marshall Counties | In honor of Thomas Simpson Tate, the county's original settler | Senatobia | |
| Tippah County | 09 Feb 1836 | Monroe County | Native American word for "cut off" | Ripley | |
| Tishomingo County | 09 Feb 1836 | Monroe County | In honor of Chief Tishomingo, one of the last full-blooded Chickasaw Chiefs | Iuka | |
| Tunica County | 09 Feb 1836 | Washington County and Unorganized Land | Tunica Native Americans | Tunica | |
| Union County | 07 Jul 1870 | Lee, Pontotoc, and Tippah Counties | Reunion of Confederacy with the United States | New Albany | |
| Walthall County | 16 Mar 1914 | Marion and Pike Counties | In honor of Edward Walthall, a U.S. Senator from Mississippi | Tylertown | |
| Warren County | 22 Dec 1809 | Claiborne County | In honor of Joseph Warren, a major general in the American Revolutionary War and a physician | Vicksburg | |
| Washington County | 24 May 2019 | Warren and Yazoo Counties | In honor of George Washington; a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, and first President of the United States (1789–1797) | Greenville | |
| Wayne County | 21 Dec 1809 | Washington County (AL) | In honor of Anthony "Mad Anthony" Wayne, a brigadier general in American Revolutionary War | Waynesboro | |
| Webster County | 06 Apr 1874 | Chickasaw, Choctaw, Oktibbeha, and Montgomery Counties | In honor of Daniel Webster, a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts and giant of Nineteenth Century politics | Walthall | |
| Wilkinson County | 30 Jan 1802 | Adams County | In honor of James Wilkinson; War of 1812 and American Revolutionary War officer, statesman, and appointed to be the first Governor of the Louisiana Territory in 1805 | Woodville | |
| Winston County | 23 Dec 1833 | Lowndes, Rankin, and Wayne Counties | In honor of Louis Winston, a Mississippi Supreme Court justice | Louisville | |
| Yalobusha County | 23 Dec 1833 | Monroe, Washington, and Yazoo Counties | Native American for "tadpole place" | Water Valley | |
| Yazoo County | 21 Jan 1823 | Hinds County | Yazoo Native Americans | Yazoo City |
List of Old Former / Extinct Mississippi Counties
Mississippi has counties that no longer are in existence. A lot of these counties were established and disbanded within the 19th century; county borders have modified very little since 1900 in the vast most of states.
The below Mississippi counties no longer exist:
?? County, Mississippi
Created ? from ?. It was abolished ? and re-established as ? County on ?.
- Bainbridge County: Formed from Lawrence County and Wayne County renamed Covington County
- Bourbon County: Organized by Georgia in 1785 out of disputed Yazoo lands in present day Mississippi; dissolved in 1788.
- Colfax County: Formed in 1871, renamed Clay County in 1876
- Davis County: Originally called Jones Co; name changed to Davis Co. in 1865; name changed back to Jones Co. in 1869
- Pickering County: Formed in 1799 from the Natchez District , renamed Jefferson County in 1802
- Pearl County: 1872-1878, later reformed as Pearl River County, Mississippi
- Sumner County: Formed in 1874 from Montgomery County and Choctaw County , renamed Webster County in 1882
Map of Mississippi County Boundary Changes from 1785 to 1918
This Interactive Map of Mississippi Counties show the historical boundaries, names, organization, and attachments of every county, extinct county and unsuccessful county proposal from the creation of Mississippi from 1785-1918.
Fun Facts about Mississippi Counties
County Name Facts
The County names:
- 0 of them named for Native American words or people,
Counties by Year
In 1799 the first two Mississippi counties were formed. They were Adams and Jefferson Counties. The last county to be formed was Humphreys County in 1918.
Facts for County Size
- ? County (000 sq mi) is the largest county in Mississippi.
- ? County (000 sq mi) is the smallest county in Mississippi.
Facts for County Population (2017 Est.)
- ? County (000) is the most populated county in Mississippi.
- ? County (000) is the least populated county in Mississippi.
Facts for Mississippi Counties and Cities
Mississippi’s 10 largest cities (2010) are: