List of Missouri Counties

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Counties


County	County seat	Est.	Etymology	Population	Area
Adair County	Kirksville	1841	John Adair (1757–1840), pioneer, soldier, and seventh Governor of Kentucky	25,607	568 sq mi (1,471 km²)
Andrew County	Savannah	1841	Andrew Jackson Davis (1826–1910), spiritualist and missionary who settled in St. Louis	17,291	435 sq mi (1,127 km²)
Atchison County	Rock Port	1843	U.S. Senator David Rice Atchison (1807–1886), a Democrat from Missouri	5,685	545 sq mi (1,412 km²)
Audrain County	Mexico	1831	James H. Audrain, a War of 1812 colonel Missouri State Legislator	25,529	693 sq mi (1,795 km²)
Barry County	Cassville	1835	William Taylor Barry (1784–1835), jurist and United States Postmaster General	35,597	779 sq mi (2,018 km²)
Barton County	Lamar	1855	U.S. Senator David Barton (1783–1837), one of the first senators from Missouri	12,402	594 sq mi (1,538 km²)
Bates County	Butler	1841	Frederick Bates (1777–1825), the second governor of Missouri	17,049	848 sq mi (2,196 km²)
Benton County	Warsaw	1835	Thomas Hart Benton (1782–1858), U.S. Senator from Missouri	19,056	706 sq mi (1,829 km²)
Bollinger County	Marble Hill	1851	George Frederick Bollinger (1770–1842), early settler of Missouri	12,363	621 sq mi (1,608 km²)
Boone County	Columbia	1820	Daniel Boone (1734–1820), American pioneer and hunter	162,642	685 sq mi (1,774 km²)
Buchanan County	Saint Joseph	1838	James Buchanan (1791–1868), 15th President of the United States	89,201	410 sq mi (1,062 km²)
Butler County	Poplar Bluff	1849	William O. Butler (1791–1880), U.S. Representative from Kentucky and vice-presidential nominee under Lewis Cass	42,794	698 sq mi (1,808 km²)
Caldwell County	Kingston	1836	Disputed; either John Caldwell, an Indian scout and friend of respected Colonel Alexander William Doniphan; John Caldwell, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky; or Mathew Caldwell, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence	9,424	429 sq mi (1,111 km²)
Callaway County	Fulton	1821	James Callaway (1783–1815), soldier during the War of 1812 and grandson of Daniel Boone	44,332	839 sq mi (2,173 km²)
Camden County	Camdenton	1841	Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden (1714–1794), an English lawyer, judge, Whig politician, and proponent of civil liberties	44,002	655 sq mi (1,696 km²)
Cape Girardeau County	Jackson	1812	Sieur de Girardot, a French officer and early explorer of the region	75,674	579 sq mi (1,500 km²)
Carroll County	Carrollton	1833	Charles Carroll (1737–1832), delegate to the Continental Congress and U.S. Senator for Maryland	9,295	695 sq mi (1,800 km²)
Carter County	Van Buren	1859	Zimri Carter, pioneering settler	6,265	508 sq mi (1,316 km²)
Cass County	Harrisonville	1833	Lewis Cass (1782–1866), senator from Michigan	99,478	699 sq mi (1,810 km²)
Cedar County	Stockton	1845	Named for the abundance of Eastern Red Cedar trees	13,982	476 sq mi (1,233 km²)
Chariton County	Keytesville	1821	Chariton River, a tributary of the Missouri River, whose naming origin is disputed	7,831	756 sq mi (1,958 km²)
Christian County	Ozark	1859	William Christian (1743–1786), colonel in the American Revolution	77,422	563 sq mi (1,458 km²)
Clark County	Kahoka	1836	William Clark (1770–1838), American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor	7,139	507 sq mi (1,313 km²)
Clay County	Liberty	1822	Henry Clay (1777–1852), American Senator and orator from Kentucky	221,939	396 sq mi (1,026 km²)
Clinton County	Plattsburg	1833	George Clinton (1739–1812), soldier and Governor of New York, considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States	20,743	419 sq mi (1,085 km²)
Cole County	Jefferson City	1820	Stephen Cole, pioneering settler	75,990	392 sq mi (1,015 km²)
Cooper County	Boonville	1818	Sarshel Benjamin Cooper, pioneering settler	17,601	565 sq mi (1,463 km²)
Crawford County	Steelville	1829	William H. Crawford (1772–1834), U.S. Senator from Georgia, U.S. Secretary of Treasury, and judge	24,696	743 sq mi (1,924 km²)
Dade County	Greenfield	1841	Major Francis L. Dade (1793?–1835), Major in the U.S. 4th Infantry Regiment, United States Army, during the Second Seminole War	7,883	490 sq mi (1,269 km²)
Dallas County	Buffalo	1841	George M. Dallas (1792–1864), U.S. Vice President under James K. Polk	16,777	542 sq mi (1,404 km²)
Daviess County	Gallatin	1836	Joseph Hamilton Daveiss (1774–1811), commanded the Dragoons of the Indiana Militia at the Battle of Tippecanoe	8,433	567 sq mi (1,469 km²)
DeKalb County	Maysville	1843	Johann de Kalb (1721–1780), a German soldier who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War	12,892	424 sq mi (1,098 km²)
Dent County	Salem	1851	James Dent, pioneering settler	15,657	754 sq mi (1,953 km²)
Douglas County	Ava	1857	Stephen A. Douglas (1813–1861), American Senator from Illinois, and the Democratic nominee for President in 1860	13,684	815 sq mi (2,111 km²)
Dunklin County	Kennett	1843	Daniel Dunklin (1790–1844), fifth governor of Missouri	31,953	546 sq mi (1,414 km²)
Franklin County	Union	1818	Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), writer, publisher, orator, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States	101,492	922 sq mi (2,388 km²)
Gasconade County	Hermann	1821	Gasconade River, a tributary of the Missouri River; the river probably derives its name from the French word "gascon" which means braggart, and could be an old satirical name describing those who boast about their adventures upon return to St. Louis	15,222	520 sq mi (1,347 km²)
Gentry County	Albany	1841	Richard Gentry (1788–1837), a distinguished American military colonel in the Seminole Wars	6,738	492 sq mi (1,274 km²)
Greene County	Springfield	1833	Nathanael Greene (1742–1786), a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War	275,174	675 sq mi (1,748 km²)
Grundy County	Trenton	1839	Felix Grundy (1777–1840), U.S. Congressman and U.S. Senator from Tennessee who also served as the 13th Attorney General of the United States	10,261	436 sq mi (1,129 km²)
Harrison County	Bethany	1843	Albert G. Harrison (1800–1839), U.S. Representative from Missouri	8,957	725 sq mi (1,878 km²)
Henry County	Clinton	1834	Patrick Henry (1736–1799), first post-colonial Governor of Virginia and prominent figure in the American Revolution	22,272	702 sq mi (1,818 km²)
Hickory County	Hermitage	1845	Andrew Jackson (1767–1845), seventh U.S. President, who was nicknamed "Old Hickory" during his military service	9,627	399 sq mi (1,033 km²)
Holt County	Oregon	1841	David Rice Holt, Missouri State Representative	4,912	462 sq mi (1,197 km²)
Howard County	Fayette	1816	Benjamin Howard (1760–1814), a Congressman from Kentucky, governor of Missouri Territory and a brigadier general in the War of 1812	10,144	466 sq mi (1,207 km²)
Howell County	West Plains	1857	Disputed – Josiah Howell, pioneering settler	40,400	928 sq mi (2,404 km²)
Iron County	Ironton	1857	The abundance of iron ore in the area	10,630	551 sq mi (1,427 km²)
Jackson County	Independence	1826	Andrew Jackson (1767–1845), U.S. Senator from Tennessee and later President of the United States	674,158	605 sq mi (1,567 km²)
Jasper County	Carthage	1841	William Jasper (c. 1750–1779), a noted American soldier in the Revolutionary War	117,404	640 sq mi (1,658 km²)
Jefferson County	Hillsboro	1818	Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third President of the United States, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and one of the most influential Founding Fathers	218,733	657 sq mi (1,702 km²)
Johnson County	Warrensburg	1834	Richard M. Johnson (1780–1850), ninth Vice President of the United States, serving in the administration of Martin Van Buren	52,595	831 sq mi (2,152 km²)
Knox County	Edina	1843	Henry Knox (1750–1806) an American bookseller from Boston who became the chief artillery officer of the Continental Army and later the nation's first Secretary of War	4,131	506 sq mi (1,311 km²)
Laclede County	Lebanon	1849	Pierre Laclede (1729–1778), founder of St. Louis, Missouri	35,571	766 sq mi (1,984 km²)
Lafayette County	Lexington	1821	Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834), French military officer and general in the American Revolutionary War	33,381	629 sq mi (1,629 km²)
Lawrence County	Mount Vernon	1843	James Lawrence (1781–1813), an American naval officer best known for his last words "Don't give up the ship!"	38,634	613 sq mi (1,588 km²)
Lewis County	Monticello	1833	Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809), explorer and governor of the Louisiana Territory	10,211	505 sq mi (1,308 km²)
Lincoln County	Troy	1818	Disputed; either Lincoln County, Kentucky (birthplace of Christopher Clark, a Missouri legislator who advocated for the county's creation),^[11] or for Benjamin Lincoln (1733–1810), an American revolutionary war general	52,566	630 sq mi (1,632 km²)
Linn County	Linneus	1837	Lewis F. Linn (1796–1843), a Jacksonian Democratic U.S. Senator for Missouri	12,761	620 sq mi (1,606 km²)
Livingston County	Chillicothe	1837	Edward Livingston (1764–1836), a prominent American jurist and statesman, influential in the drafting of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825, a civil code based largely on the Napoleonic Code	15,195	535 sq mi (1,386 km²)
Macon County	Macon	1837	Nathaniel Macon (1758–1837), member of the United States House of Representatives from 1791 to 1815 who briefly served in the American Revolutionary War	15,566	804 sq mi (2,082 km²)
Madison County	Fredericktown	1818	James Madison (1751–1836), politician and political philosopher who served as the fourth President of the United States, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States	12,226	497 sq mi (1,287 km²)
Maries County	Vienna	1855	Maries River, possibly a corruption of the French word marais meaning "marsh" or "swamp"	9,176	528 sq mi (1,368 km²)
Marion County	Palmyra	1826	Francis Marion (1732–1795), a military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War	28,781	438 sq mi (1,134 km²)
McDonald County	Pineville	1847	Alexander McDonald, American Revolutionary War sergeant	23,083	540 sq mi (1,399 km²)
Mercer County	Princeton	1845	John F. Mercer (1759–1821), an American lawyer, planter, and Governor of Maryland	3,785	454 sq mi (1,176 km²)
Miller County	Tuscumbia	1837	John Miller (1781–1846), an American publisher and politician from St. Louis, Missouri. He was the fourth Governor of Missouri and represented Missouri in the U.S. House	24,748	592 sq mi (1,533 km²)
Mississippi County	Charleston	1842	Mississippi River, the second-longest river in the United States which forms Missouri's eastern border	14,358	413 sq mi (1,070 km²)
Moniteau County	California	1845	Moniteau Creek; "moniteau" is a French spelling of manitou, the Algonquian Great Spirit	15,607	417 sq mi (1,080 km²)
Monroe County	Paris	1831	James Monroe (1758–1831), fifth President of the United States who crafted the Missouri Compromise	8,840	646 sq mi (1,673 km²)
Montgomery County	Montgomery City	1818	Richard Montgomery (1738–1775), an Irish-born soldier who first served in the British Army and later became a brigadier-general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War	12,236	539 sq mi (1,396 km²)
Morgan County	Versailles	1833	Daniel Morgan (c. 1736–1802), American pioneer, soldier, and United States Representative from Virginia	20,565	598 sq mi (1,549 km²)
New Madrid County	New Madrid	1812	Madrid, Spain	18,956	678 sq mi (1,756 km²)
Newton County	Neosho	1838	John Newton (1755–1780), legendary soldier of the American Revolution	58,114	626 sq mi (1,621 km²)
Nodaway County	Maryville	1843	Nodaway River, a 120-mile (190 km) long river in southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri	23,370	877 sq mi (2,271 km²)
Oregon County	Alton	1841	Oregon Territory	10,881	792 sq mi (2,051 km²)
Osage County	Linn	1841	Osage River, a 360 miles (580 km) long tributary of the Missouri River in central Missouri; the name of the river is probably derived from a French corruption of "Washazhe" – the name of the Osage Native Americans	13,878	606 sq mi (1,570 km²)
Ozark County	Gainesville	1841	Ozark Mountains – Ozark is the anglicized form of the French "aux arcs", an abbreviation of "Aux Arkansas", which means in the county of Arkansas	9,723	747 sq mi (1,935 km²)
Pemiscot County	Caruthersville	1851	An American Indian word meaning "liquid mud"	18,296	493 sq mi (1,277 km²)
Perry County	Perryville	1821	Oliver Hazard Perry (1785–1819), naval officer in the War of 1812 against Britain, earned the title "Hero of Lake Erie" for leading American forces in a decisive naval victory at the Battle of Lake Erie	18,971	475 sq mi (1,230 km²)
Pettis County	Sedalia	1833	Spencer Darwin Pettis (1802–1831), U.S. Representative from Missouri	42,201	685 sq mi (1,774 km²)
Phelps County	Rolla	1857	John S. Phelps (1814–1886), a politician, soldier during the American Civil War, and twenty-third Governor of Missouri	45,156	673 sq mi (1,743 km²)
Pike County	Bowling Green	1818	Zebulon Pike (1778–1813), American soldier and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is also named	18,516	673 sq mi (1,743 km²)
Platte County	Platte City	1838	Platte River, a tributary of the Missouri River, which is in turn named for the French word "platte" meaning flat or shallow	89,322	420 sq mi (1,088 km²)
Polk County	Bolivar	1835	James K. Polk (1795–1849), 11th President of the United States	31,137	637 sq mi (1,650 km²)
Pulaski County	Waynesville	1833	Kazimierz Pulaski (1745–1779), Polish soldier of fortune in the American Revolutionary War, he saved the life of George Washington and became a general in the Continental Army	52,274	547 sq mi (1,417 km²)
Putnam County	Unionville	1843	Israel Putnam (1718–1790), an American army general who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War	4,979	518 sq mi (1,342 km²)
Ralls County	New London	1821	Daniel Ralls, a Missouri State Representative	10,167	471 sq mi (1,220 km²)
Randolph County	Huntsville	1829	John Randolph of Roanoke (1773–1833), a leader in Congress from Virginia and spokesman for the "Old Republican"	25,414	482 sq mi (1,248 km²)
Ray County	Richmond	1820	John Ray, Missouri State Representative	23,494	570 sq mi (1,476 km²)
Reynolds County	Centerville	1845	Thomas Reynolds (1796–1844), governor of Missouri from 1840 to 1844	6,696	811 sq mi (2,100 km²)
Ripley County	Doniphan	1831	Eleazer Wheelock Ripley (1782–1839), Brigadier General in the War of 1812	14,100	630 sq mi (1,632 km²)
Saint Charles County	Saint Charles	1812	St. Charles Borromeo (1538–1584), an Italian saint and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church	360,485	561 sq mi (1,453 km²)
Saint Clair County	Osceola	1841	Arthur St. Clair (1737–1818), an American soldier and Governor of the Northwest Territory	9,805	677 sq mi (1,753 km²)
Saint Francois County	Farmington	1821	St. Francis of Assisi (c. 1182–1226), a Catholic deacon and the founder of the Order of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans	65,359	450 sq mi (1,165 km²)
Saint Louis County	Clayton	1812	King Louis IX (1214–1270), King of France from 1226 until his death	1,000,438	508 sq mi (1,316 km²)
Saint Louis City	St. Louis	1876	King Louis IX (1214–1270), King of France from 1226 until his death	319,294	61.9 sq mi (160 km²)
Ste. Genevieve County	Ste. Genevieve	1812	St. Genevieve (c. 420 – c. 510), the patron saint of Paris in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox tradition	18,145	502 sq mi (1,300 km²)
Saline County	Marshall	1820	Local hot springs	23,370	756 sq mi (1,958 km²)
Schuyler County	Lancaster	1843	Philip Schuyler (1733–1804), a general in the American Revolution and a United States Senator from New York	4,431	308 sq mi (798 km²)
Scotland County	Memphis	1841	Scotland (country)	4,843	438 sq mi (1,134 km²)
Scott County	Benton	1822	John Guier Scott (1819–1892), a U.S. Representative from Missouri	39,191	421 sq mi (1,090 km²)
Shannon County	Eminence	1837	George Shannon (1785–1836), member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition	8,441	1,004 sq mi (2,600 km²)
Shelby County	Shelbyville	1835	Isaac Shelby (1750–1826), the first and fifth Governor of Kentucky	6,373	501 sq mi (1,298 km²)
Stoddard County	Bloomfield	1835	Amos Stoddard (1762–1813), the only commandant of Upper Louisiana for the French Republic and the only commandant for the District of Louisiana for the United States in 1804 during the handover of the Louisiana Purchase	29,968	827 sq mi (2,142 km²)
Stone County	Galena	1851	William Stone, first elected judge of Taney County	32,202	463 sq mi (1,199 km²)
Sullivan County	Milan	1843	John Sullivan (1740–1795), American Revolutionary War general	6,714	651 sq mi (1,686 km²)
Taney County	Forsyth	1837	Roger Brooke Taney (1777–1864), eleventh United States Attorney General and fifth Chief Justice of the United States	51,675	632 sq mi (1,637 km²)
Texas County	Houston	1843	Republic of Texas	26,008	1,179 sq mi (3,054 km²)
Vernon County	Nevada	1851	Miles Vernon, Missouri State Senator – the county was originally defined as having the same boundaries as Bates county, but was later declared unconstitutional and changed	21,159	834 sq mi (2,160 km²)
Warren County	Warrenton	1833	Joseph Warren (1741–1775), Revolutionary War doctor and general	32,513	432 sq mi (1,119 km²)
Washington County	Potosi	1813	George Washington (1732–1799), commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and first President of the United States	25,195	760 sq mi (1,968 km²)
Wayne County	Greenville	1818	Anthony Wayne (1745–1796), United States Army general and statesman	13,521	761 sq mi (1,971 km²)
Webster County	Marshfield	1855	Daniel Webster (1782–1852), U.S. Secretary of State and Senator from Massachusetts	36,202	593 sq mi (1,536 km²)
Worth County	Grant City	1861	William J. Worth (1794–1849), a United States general during the Mexican–American War	2,171	266 sq mi (689 km²)
Wright County	Hartville	1841	Silas Wright (1795–1847), an American Democratic politician and Governor of New York	18,815	682 sq mi (1,766 km²)