History of County Names

Beaver County: Recognizes the plentiful beavers in the area.

Box Elder: Box Elder County is abundant with Box Elder Trees.

Cache County: Named for the fur stashes made by many of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company trappers.

Carbon County: Named for the coal in the area.

Daggett County: The first Utah Surveyor General was named Ellworth Daggett, therefore

Davis County: Named after Daniel C. Davis, a captain in the Mormon Battalion.

Duchesne County: The origin of the county name Duchesne is uncertain. There are six interesting possibilities. The Ute Indian word doo-shane meaning dark anyon. Fort Duchesne, built by the French. Rose Du Chense, founder of the sacred heart in Utah . An early Indian chief in the region. Du Chasne, possibly an 1830′s French Fur Trapper. Andre Duchense, a French geographer and historian.

Emery County: Named after George W. Emery, 1875 governor of the Utah Territory.

Garfield County: Named after the 1892 President James S. Garfield.

Grand County: Named after the Grande River, now known as the Colorado River.

Iron County: Originally called Little Salt Lake Valley, later changed in reminder of the Iron mines west of Cedar City.

Juab County: Juab is derived from an Indian word meaning thirsty valley or valley.

Kane County: Named after Col. Thomas L. Kane, a friend of the Mormon settlers.

Piute County: Strictly named in reminder of the Piute Indians.

Millard County: Honors the US President Millard Fillmore.

Morgan County: Jedediah Morgan Grant was the father of the LDS President Heber J. Grant.

Rich County: Named in Honor of a early LDS apostle, Charles C. Rich.

Salt Lake County: Named because of its nearness to the Great Salt Lake.

Juan County: There is a dispute of name origin for San Juan County, one explanation is the Spanish explorers and the other is the San Juan River.

Sanpete County: Sanpete possibly comes from a Ute Indian Chief named San Pitch.

Sevier County: Named after the Sevier River.

Summit County: Summit County includes 39 of the State’s highest peaks.

Tooele County: The exact origin of the name is unknown, though many believe that the name Tooele is from an Indian Chief named Tuilla.

Uintah County: Named for the Ute Indian tribe that lives in the basin.

Utah County: Apparently anglicized form the word Yuta, which is what the Spanish Explores called the Ute Indians.

Wasatch County: A Lite Indian word meaning mountain pass or low place in the high mountains.

Washington County: Named in honor of George Washington, the first US President.

Wayne County: Supposedly named for Wayne Robinson the son of state legislator Willis E. Robinson. A counter claim for the name’s origin is the Revolutionary War General Anthony Wayne.

Weber County: Named after the Weber Basin area.