Currently, there are 3243 counties in the United States. Counties are called "Parishes" in Louisiana and "Boroughs" in Alaska.
History
The origin of the American counties are in the counties of England. English (after 1707 British) colonists brought to their colonies in North America a political subdivision that they already used in England. Counties were among the earliest units of local government established in the Thirteen Colonies that would become the United States. Virginia created the first counties in order to ease the administrative workload in Jamestown in 1634. Maryland established its first county, St. Mary's, in 1637, and Massachusetts followed in 1643.
Names
Most of the county names come from either the English language or from local Native American words. In the southwestern parts of the United States which were ruled by the Spanish Empire, most of the county names have Spanish origins. In Louisiana, which was ruled by France, the most common etymology is French. However, county names of French origin can be found all across the United States.
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