List of county historical and genealogical societies
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Map of counties which have had courthouse fires
Population by Counties

Alabama is 330 miles long and 190 miles wide at its most distant points. It covers 52,423 square miles, making it the 30th largest of the 50 states. Alabama currently has sixty-seven counties. The oldest county, Washington, was created on June 4, 1800, when what is now Alabama was then part of the Mississippi Territory. The newest county is Houston, created on February 9, 1903. This list contains all counties that have existed in Alabama since the state was created in 1819.

County Name
 Date Established
 Origin of Name
 County Seat
*Autauga
 November 21, 1818
 American Indian Village of Atagi
 Prattville
*Baine, see Etowah
December 7, 1866
Gen. David W. Baine, CSA
Gadsden
*Baldwin
 December 21, 1809
 Sen. Abraham Baldwin/GA
 Bay Minette
*Baker, see Chilton
December 30, 1868
Alfred Baker
Grantville
*Barbour
 December 18, 1832
 Gov. James Barbour/VA
 Clayton
*Benton, see Calhoun
December 18, 1832
U.S. Sen. Thomas Hart Benton/MO
Jacksonville
*Bibb
 February 7, 1818
 Gov. William W. Bibb
 Centreville
*Blount
 February 6, 1818
 Gov. Willie G. Blount/TN
 Oneonta
*Bullock
 December 5, 1866
 Col. Edward C. Bullock
 Union Springs
*Butler
 December 13, 1819
 Capt. William Butler/Creek Wars
 Greenville
*Cahawba, see Bibb
February 7, 1818
Cahawba River, from the Choctaw for "water above"
 Cahawba
*Calhoun
 December 18, 1832
 Sen. John C. Calhoun/SC
 Anniston
*Chambers
 December 18, 1832
 Sen. Henry C. Chambers/AL
 Lafayette
*Cherokee
 January 9, 1836
 American Indian Tribe
 Centre
*Chilton
 December 30, 1868
 Confederate Cong. Wm. P. Chilton
 Clanton
*Choctaw
 December 29, 1847
 American Indian Tribe
 Butler
*Clarke
 December 10, 1812
 Gen. John Clarke/GA
 Grove Hill
*Clay
 December 7, 1866
 Sen. Henry Clay/KY
 Ashland
*Cleburne
 December 6, 1866
 Major Gen. Patrick Cleburne/AR
 Heflin
*Coffee
 December 29, 1841
 Gen. John Coffee
 Elba
*Colbert
 February 6, 1867
 Chiefs George & Levi Colbert
 Tuscumbia
*Conecuh
 February 13, 1818
 American Indian word
 Evergreen
*Coosa
 December 18, 1832
 Town of Alabama Indians
 Rockford
*Cotaco; see Morgan
February 8, 1818
Cotaco Creek
Somerville
*Covington
 December 17, 1821
 Brig. Gen. Leonard Covington/MD
 Andalusia
*Crenshaw
 November 30, 1866
 Judge Anderson Crenshaw
 Luverne
*Cullman
 January 24, 1877
 Johann G. Cullmann
 Cullman
*Dale
 December 22, 1824
 Gen. Samuel Dale
 Ozark
*Dallas
 February 9, 1818
 A.J. Dallas, US Sec. of Treasury/PA
 Selma
*Decatur
 December 7, 1821
Abolished by Legislature of 1823/24		 Commodore Stephen Decatur
 Woodville
*DeKalb
 January 9, 1836
 Major Gen. Baron DeKalb/Am. Rev.
 Fort Payne
*Elmore
 February 15, 1866
 Gen. John A. Elmore
 Wetumpka
*Escambia
 December 10, 1868
 American Indian name/river
 Brewton
*Etowah
 December 7, 1866
 Cherokee Indian name
 Gadsden
*Fayette
 December 20, 1824
 Marquis de LaFayette
 Fayette
*Franklin
 February 6, 1818
 Benjamin Franklin
 Russellville
*Geneva
 December 26, 1868
 Geneva, Switzerland
 Geneva
*Greene
 December 13, 1819
 Gen. Nathaniel Greene/GA
 Eutaw
*Hale
 January 30, 1867
 Col. Stephen F. Hale
 Greensboro
*Hancock, seeWinston
February 12, 1850
Gov. John Hancock/MA
Double Springs
*Henry
 December 13, 1819
 Gov. Patrick Henry/VA
 Abbeville
*Houston
 February 9, 1903
 Gov. George S. Houston
 Dothan
*Jackson
 December 13, 1819
 Gen. Andrew Jackson
 Scottsboro
*Jefferson
 December 13, 1819
 Pres. Thomas Jefferson
 Birmingham
*Jones, see Lamar
February 4, 1867
E. P. Jones/Fayette County
Vernon
*Lamar
 February 4, 1867
 Sen. L.Q.C. Lamar/MS
 Vernon
*Lauderdale
 February 6, 1818
 Col. James Lauderdale/TN
 Florence
*Lawrence
 February 6, 1818
 Capt. J. Lawrence, USN/VT
 Moulton
*Lee
 December 5, 1866
 Gen. Robert E. Lee
 Opelika
*Limestone
 February 6, 1818
 Limestone Creek
 Athens
*Lowndes
 January 20, 1830
 Cong. William Lowndes/SC
 Hayneville
*Macon
 December 18, 1832
 Sen. Nathaniel Macon/NC
 Tuskegee
*Madison
 December 13, 1808
 Pres. James Madison
 Huntsville
*Marengo
 February 6, 1818
 French battlefield
 Linden
*Marion
 February 13, 1818
 Gen. Francis Marion/SC
 Hamilton
*Marshall
 January 9, 1836
 Chief Justice John Marshall
 Guntersville
*Mobile
 December 18, 1812
 Named for Maubila Indians
 Mobile
*Monroe
 June 29, 1815
 Pres. James Monroe
 Monroeville
*Montgomery
 December 6, 1816
 Major L.P. Montgomery/TN
 Montgomery
*Morgan
 February 8, 1818
 Gen. Daniel Morgan/VA
 Decatur
*Perry
 December 13, 1819
 Commodore O.H. Perry/RI
 Marion
*Pickens
 December 20, 1820
 Gen. Andrew Pickens/SC
 Carrollton
*Pike
 December 17, 1821
 Gen. Zebulon M. Pike/NJ
 Troy
*Randolph
 December 18, 1832
 Sen. John Randolph/VA
 Wedowee
*Russell
 December 18, 1832
 Col. Gilbert C. Russell/Creek Wars
 Phenix City
*Sanford, see Lamar
February 4, 1867
H. C. Sanford/Cherokee County
Vernon
*St. Clair
 November 20, 1818
 Gen. Arthur St. Clair/PA
 Ashville
*Shelby
 February 7, 1818
 Gov. Isaac Shelby/KY
 Columbiana
*Sumter
 December 18, 1832
 Gen. Thomas Sumter/SC
 Livingston
*Talladega
 December 18, 1832
 Town of Creek Indians
 Talladega
*Tallapoosa
 December 18, 1832
 American Indian name
 Dadeville
*Tuscaloosa
 February 6, 1818
 Chief Tuscaloosa
 Tuscaloosa
*Walker
 December 26, 1823
 Sen. John W. Walker
 Jasper
*Washington
 June 4, 1800
 Pres. George Washington
 Chatom
*Wilcox
 December 13, 1819
 Lt. J.M. Wilcox/Creek Wars
 Camden
*Winston
 February 12, 1850
 Gov. John A. Winston
 Double Springs

AUTHORITIES:
Alabama Department of Archives and History. Alabama State Emblems, n.d.
Alabama Department of Archives and History. Official and Statistical Register, 1979.
Rogers, William Warren et al. Alabama: The History of a Deep South State, 1994.


Updated: January 28, 2008
Alabama Department of Archives & History
624 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, Alabama 36130-0100
Phone: (334) 242-4435
E-Mail:mark.palmer@archives.alabama.gov