ADAMS - Named in honor of Alva Adams, Governor of Colorado.

ALAMOSA - Spanish word for a cottonwood grove. Named for the cottonwood trees growing along the Rio Grande River and its tributaries.

ARAPAHOE - Named for the Arapaho Nation of Native Americans.

ARCHULETA - Named in honor of Antonio Archuleta and his father, Jose Archuleta, state Senators.

BACA - Named in honor of pioneer and Colorado territorial legislator Felipe Baca.

BENT - Named in honor of frontier trader William Bent.

BOULDER - Named for the abundance of granite boulders along Boulder Creek.

BROOMFIELD - Named for the broom corn that was formerly grown in the area.

CHAFFEE - Named in honor of Jerome Bunty Chaffee, one of Colorado's first two U.S. Senators.

CHEYENNE - Named for the Cheyenne Nation of Native Americans.

CLEAR CREEK - Named for the creek that originates in the county.

CONEJOS - Spanish word for rabbits. Named for the cottontail rabbits in the area.

COSTILLA - Spanish word meaning either little rib or furring timber.

CROWLEY - Named in honor of Colorado State Senator John H. Crowley.

CUSTER - Named for U.S. Army Colonel George Armstrong Custer, killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

DELTA - Named for the town of Delta located at the delta of the Uncompahgre River.

DENVER - Named for James W. Denver, Governor of the Territory of Kansas from 1857-1959.

DOLORES - Named for the Dolores River, which was originally named el Rio de Nuestra Senora de los Dolores, which is Spanish for the River of our Lady of Sorrows.

DOUGLAS - Named in honor of Stephen Arnold Douglas, U.S. Senator.

EAGLE - Named for the Eagle River which originates in the county.

EL PASO - El Paso means "the pass" in Spanish. Named for Ute Pass, which connects the Great Plains to South Park and was formerly located within the county.

ELBERT - Named in honor of Samuel Hitt Elbert, the 6th Governor of the Territory of Colorado.

FREMONT - Named in honor of John Charles Fremont, the explorer, U.S. Army General and U.S. Senator

GARFIELD - Named in honor of James Abram Garfield the 20th President of the United States.

GILPIN - Named in honor of William Gilpin, the first Governor of the Territory of Colorado.

GRAND - Named for the Grand River which originates in the county. The Grand River was renamed the Colorado River but the county retains the original name.

GUNNISON - Named in honor of John Williams Gunnison, a U.S. Army Captain who explore the region.

HINSDALE - Named in honor of George Hinsdale, a Lieutenant Governor of the Territory of Colorado.

HUERFANO - Spanish for the word meaning orphan. Named for Huerfano butte, a solitary volcanic plug.

JACKSON - Named in honor of Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States.

JEFFERSON - Named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States.

KIOWA - Named for the Kiowa Nation of Native Americans.

KIT CARSON - Named in honor of Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson, the frontier scout and soldier.

LA PLATA - A Spanish expression for "the silver." Named for the many silver deposits in the area.

LAKE - Named for the Twin Lakes in the county.

LARIMER - Named in honor of William Larimer, a pioneer entrepreneur.

LAS ANIMAS - Named for the Purgatoire River, which was originally named el Rio de las Animas Perdidas, which is Spanish for the River of the Souls in Purgatory.

LINCOLN - Named in honor of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States.

LOGAN - Named in honor of John Alexander Logan, a U.S. Army general and U.S. Senator.

MESA - Named for the mesa formations in the area.

MINERAL - Named for the plentiful mineral deposits found in the area.

MOFFAT - Named in honor of railroad pioneer David H. Moffat.

MONTEZUMA - Named in honor of the Aztec leader Moctezuma II. Ruins in the area are thought to be Aztec.

MONTROSE - Named for the town of Montrose, which in turn was most likely named from the novel, A Legend of Montrose.

MORGAN - Named for old Fort Morgan, which in turn was named in honor of U.S. Army Colonel Christopher A. Morgan.

OTERO - Named in honor of Miguel A. Otero of the prominent Otero family.

OURAY - Named in honor of Chief Ouray, a Ute Native American leader.

PARK - Named for South Park which occupies most of the county.

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PHILLIPS - Named in honor of R.O. Phillips, secretary of the Lincoln Land Company, which sold farmsteads in the area.

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PITKIN - Named in honor of Frederick Pitkin, the 2nd Governor of Colorado.

PROWERS - Named in honor of John W. Prowers, a pioneer of the Arkansas River Valley.

PUEBLO - Spanish word meaning village.  Named for the historic town of Pueblo.

RIO BLANCO - Spanish for the White River.

RIO GRANDE - Spanish for Big River. Named for the Rio Grande River which flows through the area.

ROUTT - Named in honor of John Long Routt, the first Governor of Colorado.

SAGUACHE - Name comes from a Ute language noun meaning "sand dunes."

SAN JUAN - Spanish for Saint John. Named for the San Juan River and San Juan Mountains which were in turn named for Saint John the Evangelist.

SAN MIGUEL - Spanish for Saint Michael. Named for the San Miguel River and San Miguel Mountains, which in turn were named for Saint Michael the Archangel.

SEDGWICK - Named for Fort Sedgwick, which in turn was named for U.S. Army General John Sedgwick.

SUMMIT - Named for the many high mountain summits in the area.

TELLER - Named in honor of Henry Moore Teller, a U.S. Senator and U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

WASHINGTON - Named in honor of George Washington, the 1st President of the United States.

WELD - Named in honor of Lewis Ledyard Weld, the first Secretary of the Territory of Colorado.

YUMA - Named for the Quechan (Yuma) Nation of Native Americans.

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