Some North Carolina counties, including Cherokee, Pasquatonk, and Perquimans, are named for Indian tribes. A few are named for bodies of water. And some are named for English nobles such as the Earl of Halifax or the Earl of Mount Edgecombe.
Yet the majority of North Carolina counties are named after American patriots, friends of the American cause during the Revolutionary period, or defenders of liberty during the state’s early years. Each county’s namesake should not only remind readers about North Carolina’s rich history but also about the principles that these men defended. A list and brief description of 20 counties follow:
1. Buncombe County (established 1791, hereinafter the year of a county’s establishment will be in parenthesis) is named for Colonel Edward Buncombe of North Carolina. At the battle of Germantown (1777), the English captured the wounded Patriot. He later died of wounds.
2. Edmund Burke, English statesman and political theorist, is the namesake of Burke County (1777). Many consider Burke to be the Father of Anglo-American conservatism.
3. Camden County (1777) is named in honor of the Earl of Camden, who opposed taxation of the American colonies. Disgusted with the Earl’s political views, Lord North removed the Earl from his post as Lord High Chancellor.
4. Chatham County (1770) derives its name from William Pitt, Earl of Chatham. In Parliament, Pitt had defended the American colonies. On his deathbed in 1778, Pitt praised the colonies for their resistance.
5. Davidson County (1822) derives its name from General William Davidson. He died at Cowan’s Field (1781) during the American Revolution.
6. Davie County is so called in compliment of General William R. Davie. When North Carolina lacked money to raise troops, Davie donated his fortune and helped raise money to form North Carolina regiments.
7. Gates County derives its name from General Horatio Gates, who defeated the British at Saratoga (1777) and helped turn the tide of war in the American favor.
8. Iredell County (1788) is named for James Iredell, Sr., a leading Federalist during the ratification debates and later one of the first justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.
9. Jones County was named for Willie Jones, who not only fought during the Revolutionary War but also opposed the ratification of the Constitution out of a concern to protect liberty.
10. Lincoln County (1779) was not named for Abraham Lincoln but for Benjamin Lincoln who battled the English throughout the South and who was appointed by General Washington to accept conquered English guns at Yorktown.
11. In 1828, Macon County was named for Nathaniel Macon—a leading statesman and opponent of taxation during the early republic era and one whom Thomas Jefferson called “the last of the Romans.”
12. Montgomery County (1779) derives its name from General Richard Montgomery, who died in 1775 while fighting heroically at Quebec.
13. Moore County (1784) is named after the esteemed Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Alfred Moore.
14. Nash County (1777) is named in honor of General Francis Nash, who died fighting the British at Germantown.
15. General Thomas Person was honored with the naming of Person County (1791). The general had opposed the Stamp Act, evinced a “devoted love of liberty,” and risked life during the Revolutionary War.
16. Randolph County (1779) is named for Peyton Randolph, the president of the First Continental Congress and uncle of the first Attorney General of the U.S., Edmund Randolph.
17. In 1785, Rockingham County was formed and named after another friend of America, Charles Watson Wentworth, Marquis of Rockingham. He and William Pitt worked in concert to defend American rights in Parliament.
18. Stokes County (1789) derives its name from Colonel John Stokes, who gallantly served during the American Revolution, most notably at Waxhaw, where an enemy sword cut off his hand. President Washington later appointed Stokes to be a district judge.
19. Created in 1779, Warren County’s namesake is Dr. Joseph Warren. The Massachusetts doctor’s popularity grew when he strongly criticized the British for killing Americans at the Boston Massacre and for unfairly taxing Americans. His contemporaries said that “no example in Roman history” exceeded his moral courage and oratory. The doctor died while fighting at Breed’s Hill (1775).
20. Wayne County (1779) is named in compliment of General Anthony Wayne (also known as “Mad Anthony” for his daring style and quick temper). He served valiantly throughout the Revolution and earned commendations and medals for his bravery.