History and Facts of Mississippi Counties

Today’s Mississippi counties did not always exist in the present form. They went through many different changes in the space of a few short years.

Table of Contents hide

1 Fun Facts about Mississippi Counties

1.1 Counties by Year

1.2 County Size Facts

1.3 County Population Facts

1.4 Mississippi City Facts

2 Boundary Changes of Mississippi Counties from 1785 to 1918

3 List of Mississippi Counties

4 List of Old Former / Extinct Mississippi Counties

4.1 Bainbridge County, Mississippi

4.2 Bourbon County, Georgia

4.3 Colfax County, Mississippi

4.4 Davis County, Mississippi

4.5 Pickering County, Mississippi Territory

4.6 Pearl County, Mississippi

4.7 Sumner County, Mississippi

The Mississippi Territory existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817.

The State of Mississippi entered the union as the 20th state on December 10, 1817.

Mississippi is currently divided into 82 counties. States bordering Mississippi are Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana.

Fun Facts about Mississippi Counties

Counties by Year

Adams and Jefferson Counties was the original 2 counties created on April 2, 1799.
Humphreys County was the last county created on March 28, 1918.

County Size Facts

Yazoo County (920 sq mi) is the largest county in Mississippi.
Alcorn County (400 sq mi) is the smallest county in Mississippi.

County Population Facts

Issaquena County (1,406) is the least populated county in Mississippi.
Hinds County (245,285) is the most populated county in Mississippi.

Mississippi City Facts

Mississippi’s 10 largest cities (2010) are:

Jackson (173,514) is in Hinds, Madison and Rankin Counties
Gulfport (67,793) is in Harrison County
Southhaven (48,982) is in DeSoto County
Hattiesburg (45,989) is in Mississippi and Lamar Counties
Biloxi (44,054) is in Harrison County
Meridian (41,148) is in Lauderdale County
Tupelo (34,211) is in Lee County
Greenville (34,400) is in Washington County
Olive Branch (33,484) is in DeSoto County
Horn Lake (26,066) is in DeSoto County

Boundary Changes of Mississippi Counties 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.

List of Mississippi 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	29 Jan 1827	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 contains some counties that no longer exist because they were discontinued, renamed or merged with another county. These are important for genealogy research purposes.

The below Mississippi counties no longer exist:

Bainbridge County, Mississippi

Created on January 17, 1823 from Covington County.

Bainbridge County merged back with Covington County on January 21, 1824.

Bourbon County, Georgia

Created on February 7, 1785 from the Natchez Region.

Bourbon County eliminated by the state of Georgia on February 1, 1788.

Colfax County, Mississippi

Created on May 12, 1871 from Chickasaw, Lowndes, Monroe and Oktibbeha Counties.

Colfax County renamed to Clay County on April 10, 1876.

Davis County, Mississippi

Jones County was renamed Davis County on December 1, 1865. Davis County renamed to Jones County on December 1, 1869.

Pickering County, Mississippi Territory

Created on April 2, 1799 from unorganized land. Pickering County renamed to Jefferson County on January 11, 1802.

Pearl County, Mississippi

Created on February 21, 1872 from Hancock County. Pearl County merged into to Hancock and Marion Counties on February 28, 1878.

Sumner County, Mississippi

Created on April 6, 1874 from Chickasaw, Choctaw and Montgomery Counties. Sumner County renamed to Webster County on January 30, 1882.