Everything you didn't know you wanted to know about U.S. counties named for Presidents

I fell down one hell of a rabbit hole after I decided to do a trivia quiz about all 3,134 U.S. Counties and County Equivalencies and I started to wonder exactly how many of the Presidents have eponymous counties. Since I'm now burdened with this knowledge, I'm cursed to share with you now:

• George Washington (31) - Every Washington County is named after him. Oregon has the most populous Washington County

• John Adams (8, possibly 7) - Adams County, Iowa might actually be named for John Quincy Adams. Records vary.

• Thomas Jefferson (26) - Every Jefferson County is named after him, sorta. Jefferson County, Colorado is named after Jefferson Territory, which is named after him. Jefferson County, Oregon is named after the volcano Mt. Jefferson, which is named after him. Jefferson County, Mississippi had the highest percentage of Black Americans in the U.S. (84.55%) and is the 4th poorest county in the country. Jefferson County, Pennsylvania is home to Punxsutawney Phil, easily the worst meteorologist.

• James Madison (20) - Madison County, Iowa is the setting for The Bridges of Madison County. The one in Virginia is technically named for his family but I decided to count it.

• James Monroe (17) - Mark Twain was born in Monroe County, Missouri. Monroe County, Kentucky was dry county until 2023

• John Quincy Adams (3, possibly 2) - Adams County, Colorado is named for A John Quincy Adams. Just not this one. They're distant cousins.

• Andrew Jackson (22, possibly 20) - I couldn't confirm whether or not Jackson County, South Dakota was named for him. Jackson County, Oklahoma is named after him or Stonewall Jackson. Sources vary. Jackson County, Kansas used to be called Calhoun County after Jackson's beleaguered Vice President, John C. Calhoun. That's fucking hilarious.

• Martin Van Buren (4) - Michigan has a series of counties named after people who served in Jackson's cabinet, including Van Buren

• William Henry Harrison (4) - There are more Harrison Counties named for other people than Harrison himself.

• John Tyler (1) - Taylor County, West Virginia is named for his father

• James K. Polk (10) - Polk County, Iowa is the most populous in the state. Polk County, Missouri and North Carolina are named after his grandfather and first cousin, once removed respectively.

• Zachary Taylor (4) - Taylor County, Texas is named for a trio of brothers who died at the Battle of the Alamo

• Millard Fillmore (3) - The only president that has a county named for his given name (Millard County, Utah)

• Franklin Pierce (4) - The only Pierce County not named for the president is in North Dakota

• James Buchanan (3) - Buchanan County, Virginia is named for the president but is pronounced completely different for some reason

• Abraham Lincoln (18) - The most populous Lincoln County is in North Carolina and is named for Benjamin Lincoln who is the namesake for 4 other Lincoln Counties (GA, KY, MO, and TN). Lincoln County, Nevada is home to Area 51.

• Andrew Johnson (0) - Whole lotta Johnson Counties and nary a one for this guy. 4 of them are named for Vice President Richard Mentor Johnson (IL, KY, MO, NE). Johnson County, Iowa used to be named for RMJ, but it was changed in 2020 to honor Lulu Merle Johnson who was the first Black woman in the state to earn a doctorate. Johnson County, Georgia is named for Stephen Douglas 1860 running mate, Herschel Vespasian Johnson.

• Ulysses Grant (12) - Grant County, Arkansas is a dry county. The Grant Counties in Indiana, Kentucky and Wisconsin are not named for him.

• Rutherford Hayes (1) - There's one Hayes County (Nebraska) and it's named for him

• James Garfield (6) - Garfield County, Missouri is where 4 of the world's major specimens of T-Rex fossils were excavated. It's not 100% clear if this Garfield County is named for him, but based on the timing of when the county came about, it's a safe bet.

• Chester Arthur (1) - One Arthur County (Nebraska) and it's his. It's home to what might be the smallest court house in the U.S.

• Grover Cleveland (2) - Cleveland County, North Carolina is named for Revolutionary War Colonel Benjamin Cleveland

• Benjamin Harrison (0) - There's definitely some Benjamin Harrisons that lent their names to the Harrison Counties...just not this specific Benjamin Harrison.

• William McKinley (1) - There's just one McKinley County and it's in New Mexico

• Theodore Roosevelt (2) -Both counties are named for the president

• William Howard Taft (0) - There's not even a Taft County!

• Woodrow Wilson (0) - None of the Wilson Counties are named for Woodrow Wilson

• Warren Harding (1) - Harding is the most recent president to have a county named for him.

I'm skipping ahead here since there aren't any more counties named for presidents or any shared names except:

• The Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Clinton Counties are not named after any presidents but almost every Clinton County is named after Dewitt Clinton.

Now you too are burden with this knowledge.