Texas is divided into 254 counties (map), which are a type of local government in the state. County governments are responsible for certain judicial functions, public infrastructure, and public safety.

An elected, five-member commissioners court sets the policies and budget of the county. It consists of four commissioners elected from different precincts, and a county judge elected at-large by all voters of the county. The county judge is the head of the county government, and fulfills a mix of executive, legislative, and judicial functions.

Voters also directly elect judges of county courts and district courts, the county sheriff, and the county tax assessor-collector.

Counties overlap with the territory of other units of local government, such as cities, school districts, and utility districts. County governments run elections and collect taxes both inside and outside of city limits. Counties are funded by sales taxes, property taxes, and fees such as court filing fees, criminal fines and road and bridge fees.

List of Counties of Texas

CountyCounty SeatEstablishedEtymologyPopulationArea (sq mi)
AndersonPalestine1846Kenneth Anderson, the last vice president of the Texas Republic57,741149
AndrewsAndrews1876Richard Andrews, the first Texan soldier to die in the Texas Revolution17,7221501
AngelinaLufkin1846Spanish for “Little Angel,” after a Native American woman who assisted early Spanish missionaries87,805802
AransasRockport1871Aransas Bay, named in turn for an early Spanish fort. Possibly related to “Arantzazu,” Basque for “place of thorns”25,572252
ArcherArcher City1858Branch Tanner Archer, a commissioner for the Republic of Texas8,809910
ArmstrongClaude1876One of several Texas pioneer families1,879914
AtascosaJourdanton1856The Spanish word for “boggy”48,9811232
AustinBellville1836Stephen F. Austin, founder of the Austin colony29,786653
BaileyMuleshoe1876Peter James Bailey III, a soldier and defender of the Alamo7,077827
BanderaBandera1856Spanish for “flag.” Named for Bandera Pass.22,351792
BastropBastrop1836Baron Felipe Enrique Neri de Bastrop, a Dutch settler who helped Stephen F. Austin in obtaining his original land grants84,761888
BaylorSeymour1858Henry Baylor, a surgeon in the Texas Rangers3,581871
BeeBeeville1857Barnard Bee, a secretary of state of the Texas Republic32,563880
BellBelton1850Peter Bell, the third governor of Texas347,8331059
BexarSan Antonio1836San Antonio de Béxar, the principal Spanish fortress in Texas. Named for the Spanish viceroy’s family, who were Dukes of Béjar in Spain1,958,5781247
BlancoJohnson City1858The Blanco River. Blanco is Spanish for “white”11,626711
BordenGail1876Gail Borden, businessman, publisher, surveyor, and inventor of condensed milk673899
BosqueMeridian1854The Bosque River. Bosque is Spanish for “wooded.”18,326989
BowieNew Boston1840James Bowie, the legendary knife fighter who died at the Battle of the Alamo94,012888
BrazoriaAngleton1836Brazoria, Texas, an early port on the Brazos River362,4571387
BrazosBryan1841The Brazos River222,830586
BrewsterAlpine1887Henry Percy Brewster, a secretary of war for the Republic of Texas and soldier in the Civil War9,3376193
BriscoeSilverton1876Andrew Briscoe, a signatory of the Texan Declaration of Independence and soldier during the Texan Revolution1,528900
BrooksFalfurrias1911James Abijah Brooks, a Texas Ranger and state legislator7,235943
BrownBrownwood1856Henry Stevenson Brown, a commander at the Battle of Velasco38,053944
BurlesonCaldwell1846Edward Burleson, a general of the Texas Revolution and Vice President of the Republic of Texas18,011666
BurnetBurnet1852David Gouverneur Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas46,804995
CaldwellLockhart1848Mathew Caldwell, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and soldier during the Texas Revolution42,338546
CalhounPort Lavaca1846John C. Calhoun, the seventh vice president of the United States21,744512
CallahanBaird1858James Hughes Callahan, a soldier during the Texas Revolution13,946899
CameronBrownsville1848Ewen Cameron, a soldier during the Texas Revolution killed during the Black Bean Episode423,725906
CampPittsburg1874John Lafayette Camp, a Texas state senator12,855198
CarsonPanhandle1876Samuel Price Carson, the first secretary of state of the Republic of Texas6,032923
CassLinden1846Lewis Cass, a senator from Michigan, who had favored the annexation of Texas to the United States30,012938
CastroDimmitt1876Henri Castro, a French consul general for the Republic of Texas and founder of a colony in Texas7,843898
ChambersAnahuac1858Thomas Jefferson Chambers, lawyer and surveyor who helped to resolve land disputes for Americans in Mexican Texas41,441599
CherokeeRusk1846The Cherokee Native American tribe52,2401052
ChildressChildress1876George Campbell Childress, one of the authors of the Texas Declaration of Independence7,067710
ClayHenrietta1857Henry Clay, U.S. Senator from Kentucky and ninth secretary of state of the United States10,4211098
CochranMorton1876Robert Cochran, a defender of the Alamo2,851775
CokeRobert Lee1889Richard Coke, the 15th governor of Texas3,306899
ColemanColeman1858Robert Coleman, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto8,4301273
CollinMcKinney1846Collin McKinney, an author of the Texas Declaration of Independence and the oldest person to sign it969,603848
CollingsworthWellington1876James Collinsworth, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and first chief justice of the Republic of Texas (spelling differs due to an error in the bill creating the county)2,987919
ColoradoColumbus1836“The Colorado River of Texas (Colorado is Spanish for “colored”)”21,232963
ComalNew Braunfels1846The Comal River (Comal is Spanish for “basin”)141,009562
ComancheComanche1856The Comanche Native American tribe13,573938
ConchoPaint Rock1858The Concho River. (Concho is Spanish for “shell”)2,717992
CookeGainesville1848William Cooke, a soldier during the Texas Revolution39,895874
CoryellGatesville1854James Coryell, a frontiersman and Texas Ranger who was killed by Native Americans74,9131052
CottlePaducah1876George Washington Cottle, who died defending the Alamo1,387901
CraneCrane1887William Carey Crane, a president of Baylor University4,740786
CrockettOzona1875David Crockett, the legendary frontiersman who died at the Battle of the Alamo3,5642808
CrosbyCrosbyton1876Stephen Crosby, a Texas Land Commissioner5,899900
CulbersonVan Horn1911David Browning Culberson, a lawyer, U.S. Congressman, and soldier in the Civil War2,2313813
DallamDalhart1876James Wilmer Dallam, a lawyer and newspaper publisher7,2081505
DallasDallas1846George Mifflin Dallas, the eleventh vice president of the United States2,618,148880
DawsonLamesa1876Nicholas Mosby Dawson, a soldier of the Texan Revolution and victim of the Dawson Massacre12,813902
Deaf SmithHereford1876Erastus “Deaf” Smith, a scout during the Texan Revolution18,8361497
DeltaCooper1870Its triangular shape, much like the Greek letter Delta5,298277
DentonDenton1846John Bunyan Denton, a preacher, lawyer, and soldier killed during a raid on a Native American camp836,210888
DeWittCuero1846Green DeWitt, an empresario who founded an early colony in Texas20,226909
DickensDickens1876J.A. Dickens, who died at the Battle of the Alamo2,209904
DimmitCarrizo Springs1858Philip Dimmitt, a major figure in the Texas Revolution10,4181331
DonleyClarendon1876Stockton P. Donley, a frontier lawyer and Texas Supreme Court justice3,311930
DuvalSan Diego1858Burr Harrison DuVal, a soldier in the Texas Revolution who died in the Goliad Massacre11,2731793
EastlandEastland1858William Mosby Eastland, a soldier during the Texas Revolution18,411926
EctorOdessa1887Mathew Ector, a Confederate general during the Civil War157,087901
EdwardsRocksprings1858Haden Edwards, empresario and filibuster who led the Fredonian Rebellion1,9532120
EllisWaxahachie1849Richard Ellis, president of the convention that produced the Texas Declaration of Independence173,620940
El PasoEl Paso1848Neighboring Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, formerly called El Paso del Norte as it served as the pass north from central Mexico to the settlements of New Mexico840,4101013
ErathStephenville1856George Bernard Erath, an early surveyor and a soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto41,9691086
FallsMarlin1850The Falls on the Brazos17,437769
FanninBonham1837James Walker Fannin, Jr., the commander of the Texans killed in the Goliad Massacre34,446892
FayetteLa Grange1837Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette (1757–1834 , the French-born general and hero of the American Revolutionary War25,272950
FisherRoby1876Samuel Rhoads Fisher, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and secretary of the Navy under the Republic of Texas3,880901
FloydFloydada1876Dolphin Ward Floyd, who died defending the Alamo5,855992
FoardCrowell1891Robert Levi Foard, an attorney and Confederate major in the Civil War1,222707
Fort BendRichmond1837A blockhouse positioned in a bend of the Brazos River764,828875
FranklinMount Vernon1875Benjamin Cromwell Franklin, a judge and Texas State Senator10,767286
FreestoneFairfield1850A type of peach grown in the area19,625885
FrioPearsall1858“The Frio River (Frío is Spanish for “cold”)”19,6001133
GainesSeminole1876James Gaines, merchant and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence20,6381502
GalvestonGalveston1838Bernardo de Gálvez, Spanish governor of the Louisiana Territory335,036399
GarzaPost1876José Antonio de la Garza, pioneering settler and first Mayor of San Antonio6,528896
GillespieFredericksburg1848Robert Addison Gillespie, a merchant, Mexican–American War soldier, and Texas Ranger26,6461061
GlasscockGarden City1887George Washington Glasscock, an early Texian settler, businessman, soldier, and state representative1,348901
GoliadGoliad1836Its county seat, named in turn as an anagram of Miguel Hidalgo, the inspirational figure behind the Mexican War of Independence7,562854
GonzalesGonzales1836Rafael Gonzales, Governor of Coahuila y Tejas20,8931068
GrayPampa1876Peter W. Gray, a lawyer and state senator22,404928
GraysonSherman1846Peter Wagener Grayson, an attorney general of the Republic of Texas131,140934
GreggLongview1873John Gregg, a Confederate general during the Civil War123,367274
GrimesAnderson1846Jesse Grimes, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and early settler of the future county28,032794
GuadalupeSeguin1846The Guadalupe River, named in turn for the Mexican spiritual icon Our Lady of Guadalupe159,659711
HalePlainview1876John C. Hale, a lieutenant killed in action at the Battle of San Jacinto34,1341005
HallMemphis1876Warren DeWitt Clinton Hall, a secretary of war for the Republic of Texas (18363,071903
HamiltonHamilton1856James Hamilton Jr., governor of South Carolina (1830–1832 who gave financial aid to the Republic of Texas8,422836
HansfordSpearman1876John M. Hansford, a Texas state representative and judge5,477920
HardemanQuanah1858Bailey Hardeman, the first secretary of the treasury for the Republic of Texas, and his brother Thomas Jones Hardeman, state representative and judge3,994695
HardinKountze1858The Hardin family, earliest settlers of Liberty County57,139894
HarrisHouston1836John Richardson Harris, early settler and founder of Harrisburg, Texas, which eventually became known as Houston Named Harrisburg County until 1834,652,9801729
HarrisonMarshall1839Jonas Harrison, a lawyer and soldier in the Texas Revolution66,661899
HartleyChanning1876Oliver C. and Rufus K. Hartley, brothers and original reporters for the Texas Supreme Court5,6911462
HaskellHaskell1858Charles Ready Haskell, Texas revolutionary soldier killed in the Goliad Massacre5,746903
HaysSan Marcos1848John Coffee Hays, a leading Texas Ranger and Mexican–American War officer214,485678
HemphillCanadian1876John Hemphill, U.S. Senator and Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court4,024910
HendersonAthens1846James Pinckney Henderson, the first governor of Texas81,064874
HidalgoEdinburg1852Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the priest who raised the call for Mexico’s independence from Spain774,7691569
HillHillsboro1853George Washington Hill, a secretary of war and secretary of the navy under the Republic of Texas35,852962
HockleyLevelland1876George Washington Hockley, Chief of Staff of the Texas Army during the Texas Revolution and secretary of war of the Republic of Texas23,088908
HoodGranbury1866John Bell Hood, a Confederate lieutenant general who commanded a Texas Brigade58,273422
HopkinsSulphur Springs1846David Hopkins, an early settler in the future county36,496785
HoustonCrockett1837Sam Houston, general of the Texan Revolution, later president of the Republic of Texas, U.S. Senator, and governor of the state of Texas23,0211231
HowardBig Spring1876Volney Eskine Howard, U.S. Representative from Texas36,040903
HudspethSierra Blanca1917Claude Benton Hudspeth, a U.S. Congressman, rancher, and newspaper publisher4,4084571
HuntGreenville1846Memucan Hunt, Jr., a secretary of the navy under the Republic of Texas93,872841
HutchinsonStinnett1876Andrew Hutchinson, an early settler and attorney21,375887
IrionMertzon1889Robert Anderson Irion (1804–1861 , a secretary of state in the Republic of Texas1,5161052
JackJacksboro1856Patrick and William Jack, brothers, participants in the Anahuac Disturbance, and veterans of the Texas Revolution8,832917
JacksonEdna1836Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States14,805830
JasperJasper1836William Jasper, an American Revolutionary War hero35,561938
Jeff DavisFort Davis1887Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America2,2802265
JeffersonBeaumont1836Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence256,299904
Jim HoggHebbronville1913James Stephen Hogg, the 20th governor of Texas5,2021136
Jim WellsAlice1911James Babbage Wells Jr., judge and Democratic party boss in southern Texas40,871865
JohnsonCleburne1854Middleton Tate Johnson, a Texas Ranger and senator for the Republic of Texas167,301729
JonesAnson1854Anson Jones, the fifth president of the Republic of Texas19,983931
KarnesKarnes City1854Henry Karnes, a soldier in the Texas Revolution15,187750
KaufmanKaufman1848David Spangler Kaufman, a Jewish Texas state senator and the second Jewish member of the United States House of Representatives122,883786
KendallBoerne1862George Wilkins Kendall, an early journalist and sheep rancher who gained national fame as a war correspondent during the Mexican–American War44,026662
KenedySarita1921Mifflin Kenedy, an early rancher and land speculator4171457
KentJayton1876Andrew Kent, who died at the Battle of the Alamo763902
KerrKerrville1856James Kerr, an early colonist in Texas and soldier in the Texas Revolution51,7201106
KimbleJunction1858George C. Kimbell, who died at the Battle of the Alamo (spelling differs due to an error in the bill creating the county)4,4101251
KingGuthrie1876William Phillip King, who died at the Battle of the Alamo296912
KinneyBrackettville1850Henry Lawrence Kinney, a Texas state senator and unsuccessful land speculator3,7451364
KlebergKingsville1913Robert Justus Kleberg, an early German settler and soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto31,088871
KnoxBenjamin1858Henry Knox, the first secretary of war of the United States3,710854
LamarParis1840Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, the third president of the Republic of Texas49,587917
LambLittlefield1876George A. Lamb, who died at the Battle of San Jacinto13,2101016
LampasasLampasas1856“The Lampasas River” (Lampasas is Spanish for “lilies”)21,207712
La SalleCotulla1858René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (1643–1687 , the French explorer who traveled through Texas7,5841489
LavacaHallettsville1842“The Lavaca River” (Spanish for “the cow”)20,062629
LeeGiddings1874Robert Edward Lee (1807–1870 , the commanding general of the Confederate forces during the Civil War17,1831072
LeonCenterville1846Disputed: Either Mexican empresario Martín De León, who founded Victoria, Texas; or the león, a local variety of yellow wolf17,2431072
LibertyLiberty1836Its county seat, which was named either for the recent success of the Mexican War of Independence or for Liberty, Mississippi83,6581160
LimestoneGroesbeck1846The limestone deposits in the region23,527909
LipscombLipscomb1876Abner Smith Lipscomb, justice of the Texas Supreme Court and secretary of state of the Republic of Texas3,378932
Live OakGeorge West1856The Texas live oak tree under which the petition for a new county was signed12,1741036
LlanoLlano1856“The Llano River” (Llano is Spanish for “plains”)21,210935
LovingMentone1887Oliver Loving, a cattle rancher and pioneer of the cattle drive who, with Charles Goodnight, developed the Goodnight–Loving Trail134673
LubbockLubbock1876Thomas Saltus Lubbock, a Texas Ranger and Confederate colonel during the Civil War305,225900
LynnTahoka1876William Lynn, a soldier in the Texas Revolution from Massachusetts who is believed to have died defending the Alamo5,859892
McCullochBrady1856Benjamin McCulloch, veteran of San Jacinto, Texas Ranger, and Confederate general7,9571069
McLennanWaco1850Neil McLennan, an early settler in the future county251,2591042
McMullenTilden1858, an Irish-born empresario in Texas7781113
MadisonMadisonville1853James Madison, the fourth president of the United States14,222470
MarionJefferson1860Francis Marion, American Revolutionary War general10,064381
MartinStanton1876Wylie Martin, a Texas Revolutionary soldier and legislative representative for the Republic of Texas5,626915
MasonMason1858Fort Mason, which was named for either Lt. George T. Mason, killed during the Mexican–American War in fighting near Brownsville, or for Gen. Richard Barnes Mason, military governor of California4,222932
MatagordaBay City1836The canebrakes which once grew along the coast (Mata gorda is Spanish for “fat bush”)36,8401114
MaverickEagle Pass1856Samuel Augustus Maverick, a rancher, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and representative in the Republic of Texas legislature58,2161280
MedinaHondo1848The Medina River, named for Spanish engineer Pedro Medina50,0661328
MenardMenard1858Michel Branamour Menard, the founder of Galveston, Texas2,124902
MidlandMidland1885Named for being halfway between Fort Worth and El Paso on the Texas and Pacific Railway165,049900
MilamCameron1836Benjamin Rush Milam, an early Texas colonizer and soldier in the Texas Revolution25,0531017
MillsGoldthwaite1887John T. Mills, a Texas Supreme Court judge4,921748
MitchellColorado City1876Asa and Eli Mitchell, two early settlers and soldiers in the Texas Revolution8,468910
MontagueMontague1857Daniel Montague, a state senator and early surveyor in the future county19,539931
MontgomeryConroe1837Montgomery, Texas, which was named for Andrew Jackson Montgomery, a San Jacinto Veteran570,9341044
MooreDumas1876Edwin Ward Moore, commodore of the Texan Navy22,097900
MorrisDaingerfield1875William Wright Morris, a planter and state legislator12,467254
MotleyMatador1876Junius William Mottley, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence1,230989
NacogdochesNacogdoches1836Its county seat, which was named for the Nacogdoche Native American tribe65,580947
NavarroCorsicana1846José Antonio Navarro, a leading Tejano participant in the Texan Revolution and signer of the Texan Declaration of Independence48,7011071
NewtonNewton1846John Newton, a veteran of the Revolutionary War13,952933
NolanSweetwater1876Philip Nolan, a mustanger who was killed by Spanish troops while on a mission into Texas14,770912
NuecesCorpus Christi1846“The Nueces River (Nueces is Spanish for “nuts”)361,221836
OchiltreePerryton1876William Beck Ochiltree, secretary of the treasury for the Republic of Texas and legislator for the state of Texas10,073918
OldhamVega1876Williamson Simpson Oldham, a Confederate Senator for Texas2,1141501
OrangeOrange1852An orange grove planted by early settlers at the mouth of the Sabine River85,047356
Palo PintoPalo Pinto1856The Palo Pinto Creek (Palo Pinto is Spanish for “painted stick”)28,570953
PanolaCarthage1846A Native American word for cotton.23,243801
ParkerWeatherford1855Isaac Parker, legislator for both the Republic of Texas and the state of Texas133,463904
ParmerFarwell1876Martin Parmer, a Republic of Texas legislator, judge, and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence9,842882
PecosFort Stockton1871The Pecos River, which was named for the Pecos Pueblo, which is of unknown etymology15,6344764
PolkLivingston1846James Knox Polk, the eleventh president of the United States49,1621057
PotterAmarillo1876Robert Potter, secretary of the navy for the Republic of Texas, and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence120,458909
PresidioMarfa1850Presidio del Norte, an eighteenth-century fort and settlement on the south side of the Rio Grande7,1563856
RainsEmory1870Emory Rains, a state senator and surveyor of the future county11,762259
RandallCanyon1876Horace Randal, a Confederate brigadier general in the Civil War134,442914
ReaganBig Lake1903John H. Reagan, Confederate postmaster general, U.S. Congressman, and Governor of Texas3,7101175
RealLeakey1913Julius Real, a rancher and state senator3,429700
Red RiverClarksville1836The Red River of Texas12,2291050
ReevesPecos1883George Robertson Reeves, a Texas state representative and colonel in the Confederate army15,2812636
RefugioRefugio1836Its county seat, which was named for the Spanish mission Nuestra Señora del Refugio, “Our Lady of Refuge”7,224770
RobertsMiami1876John S. Roberts, a signer of the Texan Declaration of Independence, and his brother Oran Roberts, attorney general for the Republic of Texas and the 17th governor938924
RobertsonFranklin1837Sterling Clack Robertson, an empresario in Mexican Texas17,203855
RockwallRockwall1873A submerged stone wall found by initial settlers96,788149
RunnelsBallinger1858Hiram Runnels, the 9th governor of Mississippi and a planter in Texas10,2661054
RuskHenderson1843Thomas Jefferson Rusk, a general in the Texas Revolution52,833924
SabineHemphill1836The Sabine River. Sabina is Spanish for “cypress.”10,461490
San AugustineSan Augustine1836Saint Augustine of Hippo8,253528
San JacintoColdspring1870The Battle of San Jacinto, final battle of Texas Revolution28,270571
San PatricioSinton1836San Patricio de Hibernia was the first county seat, an Irish colony named for Saint Patrick67,215692
San SabaSan Saba1856The San Saba River, discovered on the Catholic feast of Saint Sabbas5,9591134
SchleicherEldorado1887Gustav Schleicher, engineer and U.S. Congressman3,0011311
ScurrySnyder1876William Read Scurry, state legislator and Confederate general17,050903
ShackelfordAlbany1858Jack Shackelford, a soldier of the Texas Revolution3,328914
ShelbyCenter1836Isaac Shelby, governor of Kentucky25,513794
ShermanStratford1876Sidney Sherman, a soldier in the Texas Revolution3,067923
SmithTyler1846James Smith, a general during the Texas Revolution227,727928
SomervellGlen Rose1875Alexander Somervell, a soldier in the Texas Revolution and leader of the Somervell Expedition8,845187
StarrRio Grande City1848James Harper Starr, a treasurer for the Republic of Texas and Confederate official64,4541223
StephensBreckenridge1858Alexander Hamilton Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy9,337895
SterlingSterling City1891W. S. Sterling, early rancher and buffalo hunter1,295923
StonewallAspermont1876Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, a famous Confederate General1,388919
SuttonSonora1887John Sutton, a Texas Ranger and soldier in the Texas Revolution3,7671454
SwisherTulia1876James Swisher, a soldier of the Texas Revolution7,515900
TarrantFort Worth1849Edward Tarrant, U.S. Army general2,054,475864
TaylorAbilene1858Edward Taylor, George Taylor, and James Taylor, three brothers who died at the Alamo136,290916
TerrellSanderson1905Alexander Watkins Terrell, state legislator, diplomat, and Confederate cavalry officer8102358
TerryBrownfield1876Frank Terry, a Confederate colonel and commander of Terry’s Texas Rangers12,715890
ThrockmortonThrockmorton1858William Throckmorton, an early Collin County settler1,527912
TitusMount Pleasant1846Andrew Jackson Titus, planter and Texas state representative32,904411
Tom GreenSan Angelo1874Thomas Green, a Confederate brigadier general118,0191522
TravisAustin1840William Travis, the commander of the Texan forces at the Alamo1,226,698989
TrinityGroveton1850The Trinity River14,667693
TylerWoodville1846John Tyler, the tenth president of the United States21,539923
UpshurGilmer1846Abel Parker Upshur, the fifteenth secretary of state of the United States41,281588
UptonRankin1887John & William Upton, brothers and lieutenant colonels in the Confederate army3,6631242
UvaldeUvalde1850The Cañón de Ugalde, a nearby battlefield where Spanish General Juan de Ugalde was victorious in a skirmish with over 300 Apaches27,1321557
Val VerdeDel Rio1885“Civil War Battle of Val Verde (Val Verde is Spanish for “green valley”)49,2053171
Van ZandtCanton1848Isaac Van Zandt, attorney, Texas state representative, and diplomat55,182849
VictoriaVictoria1836Its county seat, which was named for Guadalupe Victoria, Mexican revolutionary and its first president92,084883
WalkerHuntsville1846Samuel Hamilton Walker, a Texas Ranger and soldier in the Mexican–American War72,245788
WallerHempstead1873Edwin Waller, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and the first mayor of Austin, Texas51,307514
WardMonahans1887Thomas William Ward, a commissioner for the General Land Office of Texas and mayor of Austin, Texas11,472836
WashingtonBrenham1836George Washington, the first president of the United States35,043609
WebbLaredo1848James Webb, who served as secretary of the Treasury, secretary of State, and Attorney General of the Republic of Texas274,7943357
WhartonWharton1846William Harris Wharton and John Austin Wharton, brothers and officers in the Texas Revolution41,9681090
WheelerWheeler1876Royal Tyler Wheeler, the second Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court5,358914
WichitaWichita Falls1858The Wichita Native American tribe132,000628
WilbargerVernon1858Josiah P. and Mathias Wilbarger, brothers and early settlers; Josiah became a mythical figure for living 11 years after being scalped12,764971
WillacyRaymondville1911John G. Willacy, Texas state senator who was the author of the bill that established the county21,584597
WilliamsonGeorgetown1848Robert McAlpin Williamson, a leader and veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto547,5451124
WilsonFloresville1860James Charles Wilson, a Texas state senator49,304807
WinklerKermit1887Clinton Winkler, an appeals court judge, Texas state representative, and Confederate colonel7,574841
WiseDecatur1856Henry Alexander Wise, the U.S. Congressman and future thirty-eighth governor of Virginia, who supported the annexation of Texas66,181905
WoodQuitman1850George Tyler Wood, the second governor of Texas44,314650
YoakumPlains1876Henderson King Yoakum, soldier, attorney, and Texas historian8,568800
YoungGraham1856William Cocke Young, early Texas settler, attorney, sheriff, and United States Marshal17,979922
ZapataZapata1858José Antonio Zapata, a local rancher and colonel of the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande14,322997
ZavalaCrystal City1846Lorenzo de Zavala, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and the first Vice-President of the Republic of Texas11,9481299
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