Pennsylvania County Histories


Dates Legend

The other two tabs categorize county names in two different ways. Choose the Name Types tab to see which counties are named after people, places and other things. Choose the Name Cultures tab to see which county names come from Native American, English and other cultural origins.

Background Information

Pennsylvania did not establish all of its counties at once. In fact, it took almost 200 years for them to gradually come into existence.

County Contrasts
Founding Dates Oldest 1682: Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester Newest 1878: Lackawanna
Sizes (area) Largest 1,244 sq. miles: Lycoming Smallest 132 sq. miles: Montour
Population Most Populated 1,517,550: Philadelphia Least Populated 4,946: Forest

Credits