| Adams County |
22 Jan 1800 |
York County |
In honor of John Adams (1735-1826); lawyer, a Founding Father, the first vice president, and second President of the United States (1797-1801) |
Gettysburg |
|
| Allegheny County |
24 Sep 1788 |
Washington and Westmoreland Counties |
Lenape word for the Allegheny River, which possibly translates to “beautiful river” |
Pittsburgh |
|
| Armstrong County |
12 Mar 1800 |
Allegheny, Lycoming, and Westmoreland Counties |
In honor of John Armstrong Sr. (1717-1795); a civil engineer, s a brigadier general in the Continental Army and as a major general in the Pennsylvania Militia during the American Revolutionary War. |
Kittanning |
|
| Beaver County |
12 Mar 1800 |
Allegheny and Washington Counties |
Beaver River, itself named for the eponymous animal that was sighted along its banks |
Beaver |
|
| Bedford County |
09 Mar 1771 |
Cumberland County |
In honor of Fort Bedford, which is named for John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford |
Bedford |
|
| Berks County |
11 Mar 1752 |
Chester, Lancaster, and Philadelphia Counties |
English county of Berkshire |
Reading |
|
| Blair County |
26 Feb 1846 |
Huntingdon and Bedford Counties |
In honor of John Blair, Pennsylvania state legislator |
Hollidaysburg |
|
| Bradford County |
21 Feb 1810 |
Luzerne and Lycoming Counties |
In honor of William Bradford (1755-1795), a lawyer, judge, and second U.S. Attorney General |
Towanda |
|
| Bucks County |
01 Nov 1682 |
One of the original counties at the formation of Pennsylvania |
English county of Buckinghamshire |
Doylestown |
|
| Butler County |
12 Mar 1800 |
Allegheny County |
In honor of Richard Butler (1743-1791), a major general in the American Revolutionary War |
Butler |
|
| Carbon County |
26 Mar 1804 |
Somerset and Huntingdon Counties |
Cambria, the traditional name for Wales |
Ebensburg |
|
| Cambria County |
29 Mar 1860 |
Clinton, Elk, McKean, and Potter Counties |
In honor of Simon Cameron (1799-1889); an influential businessman and U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania |
Emporium |
|
| Centre County |
13 Mar 1843 |
Monroe and Northampton Counties |
Carbon, the element found in coal |
Jim Thorpe |
|
| Chester County |
13 Feb 1800 |
Lycoming, Mifflin, Northumberland, and Huntingdon Counties |
Centre Furnance, the first industrial facility in the area |
Bellefonte |
|
| Clarion County |
01 Nov 1682 |
One of the original counties at the formation of Pennsylvania. |
English city of Chester in the county of Cheshire |
West Chester |
|
| Clearfield County |
11 Mar 1839 |
Venango and Armstrong Counties |
Clarion River, itself so named for its clarity |
Clarion |
|
| Clinton County |
26 Mar 1804 |
Lycoming and Huntingdon Counties |
The cleared fields from logging in the area |
Clearfield |
|
| Columbia County |
|
Lycoming and Centre Counties |
In honor of DeWitt Clinton (1769-1828), a New York Governor and prominant statesman |
Lock Haven |
|
| Crawford County |
22 Mar 1813 |
Northumberland and Luzerne Counties |
Columbia, the first popular and poetic name for the United States |
Bloomsburg |
|
| Cameron County |
12 Mar 1800 |
Allegheny County |
In honor of William Crawford (1722-1782), a surveyor who helped to open trans-Appalachian lands to settlement |
Meadville |
|
| Cumberland County |
27 Jan 1750 |
Lancaster County |
The historic English county of Cumberland |
Carlisle |
|
| Dauphin County |
04 Mar 1785 |
Lancaster County |
In honor of Louis-Joseph, Dauphin of France (1781-1789); the second child and elder son of King Louis XVI of France and Marie Antoinette |
Harrisburg |
|
| Delaware County |
06 Sep 1789 |
Chester County |
Delaware River, itself named for the Delaware tribe |
Media |
|
| Elk County |
18 Apr 1843 |
Jefferson, McKean, and Clearfield Counties |
Elk, which inhabit the forested county |
Ridgway |
|
| Erie County |
12 Mar 1800 |
Allegheny County |
Lake Erie |
Erie |
|
| Fayette County |
26 Sep 1783 |
Westmoreland County |
In honor of Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834); a French aristocrat and major general in the American Revolutionary War |
Uniontown |
|
| Forest County |
01 Apr 1848 |
Jefferson County |
The large forests, its chief natural feature |
Tionesta |
Part of Venango County was added on October 31, 1866 |
| Franklin County |
09 Sep 1784 |
Cumberland County |
In honor of Benjamin Franklin (1705-1790); a Founding Father, a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat |
Chambersburg |
|
| Fulton County |
19 Apr 1851 |
Bedford County |
In honor of Robert Fulton (1765-1815), inventor of the steamboat |
McConnellsburg |
|
| Greene County |
09 Feb 1796 |
Washington County |
In honor of Nathanael Greene (1742-1786), a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War |
Waynesburg |
|
| Huntingdon County |
20 Sep 1787 |
Bedford County |
The historic English county of Huntingdonshire |
Huntingdon |
|
| Indiana County |
30 Mar 1803 |
Lycoming and Westmoreland Counties |
Native Americans |
Indiana |
|
| Jefferson County |
26 Mar 1804 |
Lycoming County |
In honor of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826); a statesman, diplomat, architect, Founding Father, and third president of the United States (1801-1809) |
Brookville |
|
| Juniata County |
02 Mar 1831 |
Mifflin County |
Iroquoian word “Onayutta”, meaning “Standing Stone” |
Mifflintown |
|
| Lackawanna County |
13 Aug 1878 |
Luzerne County |
Lackawanna River, itself named for the Lenape word meaning “stream that forks” |
Scranton |
|
| Lancaster County |
10 May 1729 |
Chester County |
English city of Lancaster. |
Lancaster |
|
| Lawrence County |
20 Mar 1849 |
Beaver and Mercer Counties |
In honor of James Lawrence (1781-1813), a naval captain during the War of 1812. He is probably best known today for his last words or “dying command” “Don’t give up the ship!” |
New Castle |
|
| Lebanon County |
16 Feb 1813 |
Dauphin and Lancaster Counties |
The Biblical term for “White Mountain”, which references the piety of the county’s Moravian founders |
Lebanon |
|
| Lehigh County |
06 Mar 1812 |
Northampton County |
Lehigh River |
Allentown |
|
| Luzerne County |
25 Sep 1786 |
Northumberland County |
In honor of Anne-César, Chevalier de la Luzerne (1741-1791), the French ambassador to the U.S. who aided republican causes |
Wilkes-Barre |
|
| Lycoming County |
13 Apr 1795 |
Northumberland County |
Lycoming Creek, itself named for the Lenape word “iacomic”, meaning “great steam” |
Williamsport |
|
| McKean County |
26 Mar 1804 |
Lycoming County |
In honor of Thomas McKean (1734-1817), the second Governor of Pennsylvania |
Smethport |
|
| Mercer County |
12 Mar 1800 |
Allegheny County |
In honor of Hugh Mercer (1726-1777); a Scottish soldier, physician, and brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. |
Mercer |
|
| Mifflin County |
19 Sep 1789 |
Cumberland and Northumberland Counties |
In honor of Thomas Mifflin (1744-1800), the first Governor of Pennsylvania |
Lewistown |
|
| Monroe County |
01 Apr 1836 |
Pike and Northampton Counties |
In honor of James Monroe (1758-1831); a Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States (1817-1825) |
Stroudsburg |
|
| Montour County |
03 May 1850 |
Columbia County |
in honor of Madame Montour (1667 or c. 1685-c. 1753), colonial ambassador to the Native Americans |
Danville |
|
| Montgomery County |
10 Sep 1784 |
Philadelphia County |
The historic Welsh county of Montgomeryshire or Richard Montgomery (1738-1775), a major general in the American Revolutionary War. He was killed in the 1775 Battle of Quebec |
Norristown |
|
| Northampton County |
11 Mar 1752 |
Bucks County |
English city of Northampton |
Easton |
|
| Northumberland County |
21 Mar 1772 |
Lancaster, Berks, Bedford, Cumberland, and Northampton Counties |
The English county of Northumberland |
Sunbury |
|
| Perry County |
22 Mar 1820 |
Cumberland County |
In honor of Oliver Hazard Perry (1785-1819); a naval commodore in the War of 1812 |
New Bloomfield |
|
| Philadelphia County |
28 Sep 1682 |
One of the three original counties |
The “Brotherly love” from Greek philos (“love”) and adelphos (“brother”) |
Philadelphia |
|
| Pike County |
26 Mar 1814 |
Wayne County |
In honor of Zebulon Pike (1779-1813), an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado was renamed (from El Capitan) |
Milford |
|
| Potter County |
26 Mar 1804 |
Lycoming County |
In honor of James Potter (1729-1789), a farmer, and politician from Colonial- and Revolutionary-era Pennsylvania and a brigadier general of Pennsylvania militia during the American Revolutionary War |
Coudersport |
|
| Schuylkill County |
01 Mar 1811 |
Berks and Northampton Counties |
Schuylkill River, itself a Dutch corruption of a Lenape word possibly meaning “hidden river” |
Pottsville |
Parts of Columbia County and Luzerne County was added on March 3, 1818 |
| Snyder County |
02 Mar 1855 |
Union County |
In honor of Simon Snyder (1759-1819), third Governor of Pennsylvania |
Middleburg |
|
| Somerset County |
17 Apr 1795 |
Bedford County |
The historic English county of Somerset |
Somerset |
|
| Sullivan County |
15 Mar 1847 |
Lycoming County |
In honor of John Sullivan (1740-1795); an Irish-American major general in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, a delegate in the Continental Congress, Governor of New Hampshire, and a United States federal judge |
Laporte |
|
| Susquehanna County |
21 Feb 1810 |
Luzerne County |
Susquehanna River, itself named after an Algonquin word for “muddy current” |
Montrose |
|
| Tioga County |
26 Mar 1804 |
Lycoming County |
Tioga River, itself named for the Lenape word for “forks of the stream” |
Wellsboro |
|
| Union County |
22 Mar 1813 |
Northumberland County |
The federal Union of the States |
Lewisburg |
|
| Venango County |
12 Mar 1800 |
Allegheny and Lycoming Counties |
A corruption of the Lenape word “onenge”, meaning “otter” |
Franklin |
|
| Warren County |
12 Mar 1800 |
Allegheny and Lycoming Counties |
In honor of Joseph Warren (1741-1775), a physician and a major general in the American Revolutionary War |
Warren |
|
| Washington County |
28 Mar 1781 |
Westmoreland County |
In honor of George Washington (1732-1799); commanding general of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, a Founding Father, and first U.S. President (1789-1797) |
Washington |
|
| Wayne County |
21 Mar 1798 |
Northampton County |
In honor of Anthony “Mad Anthony” Wayne (1745-1796), a brigadier general during the American Revolutionary War |
Honesdale |
|
| Westmoreland County |
26 Feb 1773 |
Bedford County |
The historic English county of Westmorland |
Greensburg |
|
| Wyoming County |
04 Apr 1842 |
Luzerne County |
Delaware word meaning “at the big river flat” |
Tunkhannock |
|
| York County |
19 Aug 1749 |
Lancaster County |
The English city of York |
York |
|
