List of New Mexico county name etymologies
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This is a list of New Mexico county name etymologies. Some New Mexico counties were named after places within their borders, while others were named after political leaders. Five New Mexico counties were named for presidents of the United States.
- Bernalillo County, New Mexico: Bernalillo is named for either the nearby settlement of Bernalillo, New Mexico or the Gonzales-Bernal family which lived in the future county in the seventeenth century.
- Catron County, New Mexico: Catron is named for Thomas Benton Catron, a Santa Fe attorney and New Mexico's first U.S. Senator.
- Chaves County, New Mexico: Chaves is named for Jose Francisco Chaves, a U.S. Army colonel in New Mexico during and after the Civil War.
- Cibola County, New Mexico: Cibola is named for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola.
- Colfax County, New Mexico: Colfax is named for Schuyler Colfax, the seventeenth vice president of the United States.
- Curry County, New Mexico: Curry is named for George Curry, a governor of New Mexico Territory from 1907 to 1910.
- De Baca County, New Mexico: De Baca is named for Ezequiel Cabeza de Baca, the second state governor of New Mexico.
- Doņa Ana County, New Mexico: Doņa Ana is named for its first county seat of Doņa Ana, New Mexico, which in turn was named for Doņa Ana Robledo, a 17th century woman known for her charitable giving.
- Eddy County, New Mexico: Eddy is named for Charles Eddy, a rancher and developer of the area. (His middle initial is given variously as "B." or "W.")
- Grant County, New Mexico: Grant is named for Ulysses Simpson Grant, the Civil War general and eighteenth president of the United States.
- Guadalupe County, New Mexico: Guadalupe is named for Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of the Americas.
- Harding County, New Mexico: Harding is named for Warren Gamaliel Harding, the twenty-ninth president of the United States.
- Hidalgo County, New Mexico: Hidalgo is named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the priest who is known as the Father of Mexican Independence.
- Lea County, New Mexico: Lea is named for Joseph Calloway Lea, a captain in the U. S. Army, prominent leader in Chaves County, and founder of the New Mexico Military Academy.
- Lincoln County, New Mexico: Lincoln is named for Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States.
- Los Alamos County, New Mexico: Los Alamos is named for its county seat of Los Alamos, New Mexico.
- Luna County, New Mexico: Luna is named for Solomon Luna, a prominent political figure and rancher in the area. (His first name is also given as "Soloman.")
- McKinley County, New Mexico: McKinley is named for William McKinley, the twenty-fifth president of the United States.
- Mora County, New Mexico: Mora is named for its county seat of Mora, New Mexico.
- Otero County, New Mexico: Otero is named for Miguel Otero, a territorial governor of New Mexico.
- Quay County, New Mexico: Quay is named for Matthew Stanley Quay, a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania who supported New Mexico's statehood.
- Rio Arriba County, New Mexico: Rio Arriba is named for its location on the upper Rio Grande. (Rio Arriba is "upper river" in Spanish.)
- Roosevelt County, New Mexico: Roosevelt is named for Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth president of the United States.
- San Juan County, New Mexico: San Juan is named for the San Juan River.
- San Miguel County, New Mexico: San Miguel is named for the town of San Miguel de Bado, New Mexico.
- Sandoval County, New Mexico: Sandoval is named for the Sandoval family which lived in the area.
- Santa Fe County, New Mexico: Santa Fe is named for its county seat of Santa Fe, New Mexico, which also is the state capital.
- Sierra County, New Mexico: Sierra is named for possibly the Black Range. (Sierra is mountain range in Spanish.)
- Socorro County, New Mexico: Socorro is named for its county seat of Socorro, New Mexico.
- Taos County, New Mexico: Taos is named for its county seat of Taos, New Mexico, which in turn was named for the nearby Taos Pueblo, an ancient Native American village. Taos is red willow in the Tiwa language.
- Torrance County, New Mexico: Torrance is named for Francis J. Torrance, a developer of the New Mexico Central Railroad.
- Union County, New Mexico: Union is named for the "union" of the three counties which donated land to form the new county.
- Valencia County, New Mexico: Valencia is named for the town of Valencia, New Mexico in the county.
See also
Sources
- Rootsweb New Mexico Brief County Histories (http://www.rootsweb.com/~nma/cohists.htm)
- Viva New Mexico County Names (http://www.vivanewmexico.com/ghosts/hscounty.html)