The following is a list of Texas county seat name etymologies, taken from the Handbook of Texas. A separate list of Texas county name etymologies, covering Texas counties instead of its county seats, is also available.
A County Seat County Named for Abilene Taylor Abilene, Kansas, a famous cowtown Albany Shackelford Albany, Georgia, the former home of an early settler Alice Jim Wells Alice Gertrudis King Kleberg, the daughter of Richard King and wife of Robert Justus Kleberg III of the King Ranch Alpine Brewster its location in mountainous West Texas Amarillo Potter nearby Amarillo Lake and Amarillo Creek, in turn probably named for the yellow soil along their banks and shores (Amarillo is the Spanish word for yellow) Anahuac Chambers the Anahuac region of Mexico, the ancient capital of the Aztecs Anderson Grimes Kenneth Lewis Anderson, the last vice president of the Republic of Texas Andrews Andrews Richard Andrews, the first Texan soldier to die in the Texas Revolution Angleton Brazoria the wife of George W. Angle, a railroad official who had been prominent in making Velasco, Texas a deep-water port Anson Jones Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas Archer City Archer Branch Tanner Archer, a commissioner for the Republic of Texas Aspermont Stonewall the Latin word for rough mountain Athens Henderson Athens, Alabama by one of the early residents who came from there Austin Travis Stephen F. Austin, who facilitated the Anglo American colonization of Texas and is known as the Father of Texas
B County Seat County Named for Baird Callahan Matthew Baird, former owner of the Baldwin Locomotive Works Ballinger Runnels William Pitt Ballinger, a Galveston attorney and railroad stockholder Bandera Bandera Bandera Pass, named in turn for the Spanish word for flag Bastrop Bastrop Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop, an early German settler Bay City Matagorda its location on Bay Prairie Beaumont Jefferson Jefferson Beaumont, brother-in-law of founder and Texas hero Henry Millard Beeville Bee Barnard Elliott Bee, Sr., a secretary of state of the Republic of Texas Bellville Austin Thomas B. Bell, one of the Old Three Hundred Belton Bell its location in Bell County Benjamin Knox Benjamin Bedford, a lightning victim and the son of Hilory H. Bedford, a president and controlling stockholder in the Wichita and Brazos Stock Company Big Lake Reagan nearby Big Lake (which is usually dry in most years as it is located in arid West Texas) Big Spring Howard nearby "big spring" in Sulphur Draw (a popular and often fought for location in arid West Texas; the spring remains active to this day and is now part of a local park) Boerne Kendall Ludwig Boerne, a German author and publicist Bonham Fannin James Butler Bonham, who died at the Alamo (ironically, Fannin County is named for the commander whose help Bonham enlisted to aid at the Alamo) Boston Bowie Old Boston, Texas, named for store-owner W. J. Boston Brackettville Kinney Oscar Bernadotte Brackett, an early merchant in the region Brady McCulloch Brady Creek, which runs through the town Breckenridge Stephens John Cabell Breckinridge, the fourteenth vice president of the United States (note the change in spelling) Brenham Washington Richard Fox Brenham, a soldier in the Texas Revolution who had practiced medicine in the vicinity Brownfield Terry a prominent ranching family in the area Brownsville Cameron Fort Brown, named in turn for Major Jacob Brown, who died during an attack on the fort in the Mexican–American War Brownwood Brown Henry Stevenson Brown, a commander at the Battle of Velasco Bryan Brazos William Joel Bryan, a nephew of Stephen Fuller Austin who donated land for the town Burnet Burnet David G. Burnet, president of the Republic of Texas
C County Seat County Named for Caldwell Burleson Mathew Caldwell, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and soldier during the Texas Revolution Cameron Milam Ewen Cameron, a soldier during the Texas Revolution Canadian Hemphill Its location on the Canadian River Canton Van Zandt Old Canton, Texas, in neighboring Smith County Canyon Randall Nearby Palo Duro Canyon Carrizo Springs Dimmit The nearby springs Carthage Panola Carthage, Mississippi Center Shelby Its location in the center of Shelby County (the town and county, though, are near the Louisiana border in East Texas) Centerville Leon Its location in the center of Leon County (coincidentally, the town is also located almost midway between Dallas and Houston) Channing Hartley George Channing Rivers, the paymaster of the railroad when it built through the area Childress Childress George Campbell Childress, the chairman of the committee which authored the Texas Declaration of Independence Clarendon Donley Clara Sully Carhart, wife of the founder (& possible homage to the Earls of Clarendon) Clarksville Red River James Clark, the founder of the town Claude Armstrong Claude Ayers, the engineer of the first train to travel through the area Cleburne Johnson Patrick Ronayne Cleburne, a Confederate general in the Civil War Coldspring San Jacinto The cold springwater found at the location Coleman Coleman Its location in Coleman County, which was named for Robert M. Coleman, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto. Colorado City Mitchell Its location on the Colorado River Columbus Colorado Columbus, Ohio Comanche Comanche Its location in Comanche County, which was named for the Comanche indians Conroe Montgomery Isaac Conroe, the first postmaster of the town Cooper Delta L. W. Cooper, a supporter of the bill creating Delta County Corpus Christi Nueces Nearby Corpus Christi Bay, discovered by Spanish explorer Alvarez de Pineda on the Catholic Feast of Corpus Christi (Latin: "Body of Christ") Corsicana Navarro The island of Corsica, birthplace of the parents of José Antonio Navarro, the namesake of Navarro County Cotulla La Salle Joseph Cotulla, the developer of the town Crane Crane William Carey Crane, a past president of the Baylor University Crockett Houston Davy Crockett, former Tennessee member of Congress and defender of the Alamo Crosbyton Crosby Stephen Crosby, former commissioner of the Texas General Land Office Crowell Foard George T. Crowell, owner of the townsite Crystal City Zavala The clear artesian water of the area Cuero DeWitt Spanish word for "hide" or "leather:" cattle was (and still is) a major component of the local economy
D County Seat County Named for Daingerfield Morris Captain London Daingerfield, who was killed in an 1830 battle with Indians on the site that became the town in the 1840s Dalhart Dallam Its location on the border between Dallam and Hartley counties Dallas Dallas Uncertain: the primary report is that founder John Neely Bryan named it for his "good friend Dallas." This person is variously reported as 1) George Mifflin Dallas, the eleventh vice president of the United States; 2) his brother, Alexander Junior, an American commodore; 3) their father, Alexander Senior, United States Secretary of the Treasury around the end of the War of 1812; or 4) some other person named Dallas whose identity is uncertain. Additionally, another report has the town being named Dallas as the result of a town-naming contest in 1842. Decatur Wise Stephen Decatur, a Revolutionary War naval hero Del Rio Val Verde Its location on the Rio Grande Denton Denton Methodist preacher and Indian fighter John Bunyan Denton, who was killed in 1841 at the Battle of Village Creek Dickens Dickens Its location in Dickens County, which was named for a J. Dickens who fought in the Battle of the Alamo Dimmitt Castro W. C. Dimmitt, a land owner and developer Dumas Moore Louis Dumas, president of the Panhandle Townsite Company in Sherman
E County Seat County Named for Eagle Pass Maverick A ford called El Paso del Águila from eagles who nested in a grove beside the mouth of the nearby Río Escondido Eastland Eastland Its location in Eastland County Edinburg Hidalgo Settler John Young's hometown of Edinburgh, Scotland Edna Jackson A daughter of Count Joseph Telfener, an Italian entrepreneur who was building a railroad from Richmond, Texas, to Brownsville El Paso El Paso El Paso del Norte, "The North Pass," the former Spanish name of nearby modern Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Eldorado Schleicher The mythical city of El Dorado Emory Rains Rains County, which was named for Emory Rains, an early legislator and surveyor of the area
F County Seat County Named for Fairfield Freestone Unknown. Falfurrias Brooks La Mota de Falfurrias, the grove of trees where Edward Lasater established a ranch Farwell Parmer John V. Farwell, a Chicago merchant and a principal in the Capitol Syndicate, which built the present Texas State Capitol and owned the gigantic XIT Ranch Floresville Wilson Canary Islands immigrant Don Francisco Flores de Abrego, who established a ranch in the area Floydada Floyd Uncertain: The town was originally named Floyd City but was required to change it to avoid confusion with Floyd in Hunt County. The new name may have been created from garbling an intended "Floydalia" on the telegraph to Washington or by the addition of either donor James Price or his wife Caroline's mother Ada to the existing name. Fort Davis Jeff Davis Fort Davis, which was named for Confederate president Jefferson Davis Fort Stockton Pecos Camp Stockton, which was named in honor of Captain Robert Stockton, a prominent navy officer in the Mexican War Fort Worth Tarrant Fort Worth, which was named for William Jenkins Worth, a general in the Mexican–American War Franklin Robertson Old Franklin, the prior county seat, which was named for settler Francis Slauter, who had owned the land on which it was located Fredericksburg Gillespie Prince Frederick of Prussia
G