List of parishes in Louisiana

Parishes of Louisiana
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Category	Second-leveladministrative division
Location	State of Louisiana
Number	64 Parishes
Populations	Greatest: 448,467 (East Baton Rouge Parish) Least: 3,764 (Tensas Parish) Average: 71,465
Areas	Largest: 2,429 square miles (6,290 km2) (Plaquemines Parish) Smallest: 203 square miles (530 km2) (West Baton Rouge Parish) Average: 781 square miles (2,020 km2)
Government	Parish government
Subdivisions	cities, Towns,Census designated place,Unincorporated area

TheU.S. stateofLouisianais divided into 64 parishes (French:paroisses,Spanish:parroquias) in the same manner thatAlaskais divided intoboroughs,and the remaining 48 other states are divided intocounties.Louisiana's usage of the term "parish" for a geographic region or local government dates back to theFrench colonialandSpanish colonial periods.

Thirty-eightparishesare governed by a council called apolice jury.The remaining 26 have various other forms of government, including: council-president,council-manager,parish commission, andconsolidated parish/city.

History

Louisianawas formed from French and Spanish colonies, which were both officiallyRoman Catholic.Local colonial government was based uponparishes,as the local ecclesiastical division.

Following theLouisiana Purchasein 1803, the territorial legislative council divided theTerritory of Orleans(the predecessor of Louisiana state) into 12counties.The borders of these counties were poorly defined, but they roughly coincided with the colonial parishes, and hence used the same names.

On March 31, 1807, the territorial legislature created 19 parishes without abolishing any of the old counties (which term continued to exist until 1845). In 1811, a constitutional convention was held to prepare for Louisiana's admission into theUnion.This organized the state into seven judicial districts, each consisting of groups of parishes. In 1816, the first official map of the state used the termparish,as did the 1845 constitution. Since then, the official term for Louisiana's primary civil divisions has beenparishes.

The 19 original parishes were joined by Catahoula Parish in 1808. In 1810four additional parisheswere created from the formerlySpanish West Floridaterritory – these are part of what is now referred to as theFlorida Parishes.

By April 1812,Attakapas Parishbecame St. Martin Parish and St. Mary Parish. On April 30, the state was admitted to the Union with 25 parishes.

By 1820, Washington Parish was added, andFeliciana Parishsplit into West and East in 1824. The next year,Jefferson Parishwas carved from Orleans Parish. By 1830, Claiborne Parish was created, and the oldWarren Parishwas mostly absorbed into Ouachita Parish, only to return asCarroll Parisha few years later.

In 1838, Caddo Parish was created from Natchitoches, as were Madison and Caldwell parishes in the east. In 1839, Union Parish was formed from Ouachita, and Calcasieu was formed from St. Landry in 1840.

Five parishes were created in 1843: Bossier, DeSoto, Franklin, Sabine, and Tensas. Morehouse Parish and Vermilion Parish were formed from Ouachita and Lafayette parishes, respectively, in 1844. The next year, Jackson Parish was formed, the old county units were abandoned, and the units were officially referred to as "parishes". In 1848, Bienville Parish was formed from Claiborne Parish. In 1852, Winn Parish was formed, while parishes further south added and lost land.

In 1853, Lafourche Interior Parish was renamed to Lafourche Parish. DuringReconstruction,state government created a number of new parishes, with the first being Iberia and Richland parishes. Plans for creating a parish like Iberia from St. Martin and St. Mary parishes had dated from the 1840s. (A surveying error in Iberia's creation brokeSt. Martin Parishinto two non-contiguous parts, making it andNorfolk County, Massachusettsas the only county-level units with their ownexclaves.) Tangipahoa and Grant parishes followed in 1869. In 1870, the fifth Reconstruction parish, Cameron, was created, which was followed by the sixth, seventh, and eighth parishes (Red River, Vernon, and Webster, respectively) in 1871. The ninth parish to be formed under Radical Republican rule was Lincoln, named after the late president and formed in 1873. In 1877, the old parish of Carroll divided into East and West Carroll parishes, which are unofficially called the tenth and eleventh Reconstruction parishes, as the project ended that year.

No new parishes were formed until 1886, when Acadia Parish was formed from St. Landry. Again, no new parishes were formed, this time until 1908, when the western half of Catahoula parish became LaSalle parish.

In 1910, the parish count rose to 61 with the creation of Evangeline Parish, and the 62nd, 63rd, and 64th parishes (Allen, Beauregard, and Jefferson Davis) were created from areas of Calcasieu Parish. There were several minor boundary changes afterward, the most substantial being the division ofLake Pontchartrainamong Tangipahoa, St. Tammany, Orleans, Jefferson, St. John the Baptist, and St. Charles Parishes in 1979.

Listing

Parish	FIPScode	Parish Seat	Est.	Origin	Etymology	Population	Area	Map
Acadia Parish	001	Crowley	1886	from part of St. Landry Parish.	FromAcadian French.Named for theAcadianswho settled the area.	56,489	658sq mi (1,704km2)
Allen Parish	003	Oberlin	1912	from part of Calcasieu Parish.	Henry Watkins Allen,theConfederategovernor ofLouisiana	22,112	766sq mi (1,984km2)
Ascension Parish	005	Donaldsonville	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Named for theAscension of Our Lord Catholic ChurchinDonaldsonville, Louisiana,which was named after theAscension of Jesus into Heaven	131,632	303sq mi (785km2)
Assumption Parish	007	Napoleonville	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Named forChurch of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin MaryinPlattenville,the oldest in the state, which was named after theAssumption of the Virgin Mary	20,160	364sq mi (943km2)
Avoyelles Parish	009	Marksville	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	TheAvoyelNative Americanpeople	38,408	866sq mi (2,243km2)
Beauregard Parish	011	DeRidder	1912	from part of Calcasieu Parish.	ConfederategeneralP. G. T. Beauregard	36,827	1,166sq mi (3,020km2)
Bienville Parish	013	Arcadia	1848	from part of Claiborne Parish.	Named after the founder of the city ofNew Orleans,Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville	12,366	822sq mi (2,129km2)
Bossier Parish	015	Benton	1843	from part of Claiborne Parish.	U.S. RepresentativePierre Bossier	129,795	867sq mi (2,246km2)
Caddo Parish	017	Shreveport	1838	from part of Natchitoches Parish.	Named for theCaddoNative Americanpeople	226,386	937sq mi (2,427km2)
Calcasieu Parish	019	Lake Charles	1840	from part of St. Landry Parish.	FromAtakapaCalcasieu, meaningcrying eagle,is said to be the name of anAtakapaNative Americanleader	203,761	1,094sq mi (2,833km2)
Caldwell Parish	021	Columbia	1838	from part of Catahoula Parish and Ouachita Parish.	Named for the Caldwell family, which owned a large plantation and remains politically active in the state.	9,389	541sq mi (1,401km2)
Cameron Parish	023	Cameron	1870	from parts of Calcasieu Parish and Vermilion Parish.	U.S. Secretary of WarSimon Cameron	4,768	1,932sq mi (5,004km2)
Catahoula Parish	025	Harrisonburg	1808	from parts of Ouachita Parish and Rapides Parish.	Catahoula Lake,formerly within the parish's boundaries and named from aTaensa/Natchezword meaningbig, clear lake	8,414	739sq mi (1,914km2)
Claiborne Parish	027	Homer	1828	from part of Natchitoches Parish.	Governor of LouisianaWilliam C. C. Claiborne	13,670	768sq mi (1,989km2)
Concordia Parish	029	Vidalia	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Name is of uncertain origin; may be from an early land grant calledNew Concordia,from the "concord" reached by local authorities over a mutual surrender of slaves or for a mansion called Concord which was owned by Spanish governorManuel Gayoso de Lemosand located inNatchez, Mississippi	17,688	749sq mi (1,940km2)
DeSoto Parish	031	Mansfield	1843	from parts of Caddo Parish and Natchitoches Parish.	Spanish explorerHernando de Soto	27,114	895sq mi (2,318km2)
East Baton Rouge Parish	033	Baton Rouge	1810	from West Florida territory.	Frenchbâton rougemeaningred stick.A red stake was used by localNative Americansto mark the boundaries between tribal territories	448,467	471sq mi (1,220km2)
East Carroll Parish	035	Lake Providence	1877	when Carroll Parish was divided.	Charles Carroll of Carrollton,the last surviving signer of theU.S. Declaration of Independence	6,829	442sq mi (1,145km2)
East Feliciana Parish	037	Clinton	1824	when Feliciana Parish was divided.	Felicite de Gálvez, the wife ofBernardo de Gálvez,a Spanish governor ofLouisiana (New Spain)	19,229	456sq mi (1,181km2)
Evangeline Parish	039	Ville Platte	1910	from part of St. Landry Parish.	Acadianheroine of the poem "Evangeline"byHenry Wadsworth Longfellow	31,754	680sq mi (1,761km2)
Franklin Parish	041	Winnsboro	1843	from parts of Carroll Parish, Catahoula Parish, Madison Parish and Ouachita Parish	Founding FatherBenjamin Franklin	19,285	636sq mi (1,647km2)
Grant Parish	043	Colfax	1869	from parts of Rapides Parish and Winn Parish.	U.S. PresidentUlysses S. Grant	21,911	664sq mi (1,720km2)
Iberia Parish	045	New Iberia	1868	from parts of St. Martin Parish and St. Mary Parish.	Named by Spanish settlers in honor of theIberian Peninsula	67,659	1,031sq mi (2,670km2)
Iberville Parish	047	Plaquemine	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	ExplorerPierre Le Moyne d'Iberville,the brother ofJean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville	29,617	653sq mi (1,691km2)
Jackson Parish	049	Jonesboro	1845	from parts of Claiborne Parish, Ouachita Parish and Union Parish	U.S. PresidentAndrew Jackson	14,746	580sq mi (1,502km2)
Jefferson Parish	051	Gretna	1825	from part of Orleans Parish	Founding FatherThomas Jefferson	421,777	642sq mi (1,663km2)
Jefferson Davis Parish	053	Jennings	1912	from part of Calcasieu Parish.	Jefferson Davis,president of theConfederate States of America	31,553	659sq mi (1,707km2)
Lafayette Parish	055	Lafayette	1823	from part of St. Martin Parish.	French-bornAmerican Revolutionary Warhero, theMarquis de Lafayette	249,750	270sq mi (699km2)
Lafourche Parish	057	Thibodaux	1807	One of the original 19 parishes. Was named Interior Parish until 1812 and Lafourche Interior Parish until 1853.	French phrasela fourcheor in English,the fork;Bayou Lafourche, or Fork Bayou, is a fork of theMississippi River	95,056	1,472sq mi (3,812km2)
LaSalle Parish	059	Jena	1910	from west half of Catahoula Parish.	ExplorerRené-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle	14,800	663sq mi (1,717km2)
Lincoln Parish	061	Ruston	1873	from parts of Bienville Parish, Claiborne Parish, Jackson Parish and Union Parish.	U.S. PresidentAbraham Lincoln	47,962	472sq mi (1,222km2)
Livingston Parish	063	Livingston	1832	from part of St. Helena Parish.	U.S. Secretary of StateEdward Livingston,brother ofRobert R. Livingstonwho negotiated theLouisiana Purchase	150,145	703sq mi (1,821km2)
Madison Parish	065	Tallulah	1838	from Concordia Parish.	U.S. PresidentJames Madison	9,246	651sq mi (1,686km2)
Morehouse Parish	067	Bastrop	1844	from parts of Carroll Parish and Ouachita Parish.	Abraham Morehouse, who led the first settlers into the region	23,955	805sq mi (2,085km2)
Natchitoches Parish	069	Natchitoches	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	TheNatchitochesNative Americanpeople	36,291	1,299sq mi (3,364km2)
Orleans Parish	071	New Orleans	1807	One of the original 19 parishes. Today coterminous with the City of New Orleans.	Named afterPhilippe,Duke of Orléans,theregentof France	364,136	350sq mi (906km2)
Ouachita Parish	073	Monroe	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	TheOuachitaNative Americanpeople	157,568	633sq mi (1,639km2)
Plaquemines Parish	075	Pointe à la Hache	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	A word meaningpersimmonscreated from theLouisiana Creoleand theAtakapalanguage	22,386	2,429sq mi (6,291km2)
Pointe Coupee Parish	077	New Roads	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	French phrasela pointe coupéeor in English,the cut-off point,which refers to a bend in theMississippi River	20,000	591sq mi (1,531km2)
Rapides Parish	079	Alexandria	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Named for local river rapids (French:rapides)	126,260	1,362sq mi (3,528km2)
Red River Parish	081	Coushatta	1871	from parts of Bienville Parish, Bossier Parish, Caddo Parish and Natchitoches Parish.	Named for theRed River,which is part of theMississippi Riverwatershed	7,356	402sq mi (1,041km2)
Richland Parish	083	Rayville	1868	from parts of Carroll Parish, Franklin Parish, Morehouse Parish and Ouachita Parish.	Named for itsrich land	19,712	564sq mi (1,461km2)
Sabine Parish	085	Many	1843	from parts of Caddo Parish and Natchitoches Parish.	Named for theSabine Riverand the so-calledSabine Free State	21,906	1,012sq mi (2,621km2)
St. Bernard Parish	087	Chalmette	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Saint Bernard,patron saintofBernardo de Gálvez,the Spanish governor who granted land to theCanary Islanderssettling the area in 1778	44,463	1,794sq mi (4,646km2)
St. Charles Parish	089	Hahnville	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Saint Charles	50,620	410sq mi (1,062km2)
St. Helena Parish	091	Greensburg	1810	from West Florida territory.	SaintHelena	10,774	409sq mi (1,059km2)
St. James Parish	093	Convent	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	SaintJames the Great	19,191	258sq mi (668km2)
St. John the Baptist Parish	095	Edgard	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	SaintJohn the Baptist	39,592	348sq mi (901km2)
St. Landry Parish	097	Opelousas	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	SaintLandry of Paris	81,464	939sq mi (2,432km2)
St. Martin Parish	099	St. Martinville	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	SaintMartin of Tours	51,057	817sq mi (2,116km2)
St. Mary Parish	101	Franklin	1811	from part of St. Martin Parish.	SaintMary	47,055	612sq mi (1,585km2)
St. Tammany Parish	103	Covington	1810	from West Florida territory.	Legendary Indian ChiefTamanend.	275,583	1,124sq mi (2,911km2)
Tangipahoa Parish	105	Amite City	1869	from parts of Livingston Parish, St. Helena Parish, St. Tammany Parish and Washington Parish.	Comes from anAcolapissaword meaningear of cornorthose who gather corn	138,064	823sq mi (2,132km2)
Tensas Parish	107	St. Joseph	1843	from part of Concordia Parish.	TheTaensaNative Americanpeople.	3,764	641sq mi (1,660km2)
Terrebonne Parish	109	Houma	1822	from part of Lafourche Interior Parish.	French phraseterre bonneor in English, "good earth"	103,616	2,080sq mi (5,387km2)
Union Parish	111	Farmerville	1839	from part of Ouachita Parish.	Named for the union of states which make up the U.S.	20,650	905sq mi (2,344km2)
Vermilion Parish	113	Abbeville	1844	from part of Lafayette Parish.	Both theVermilion RiverandVermilion Bay	56,992	1,538sq mi (3,983km2)
Vernon Parish	115	Leesville	1871	from parts of Natchitoches Parish, Rapides Parish and Sabine Parish.	Mount Vernon,the home ofGeorge Washington,the first U.S. President	46,250	1,341sq mi (3,473km2)
Washington Parish	117	Franklinton	1819	from part of St. Tammany Parish.	U.S. PresidentGeorge Washington	44,865	676sq mi (1,751km2)
Webster Parish	119	Minden	1871	from parts of Bienville Parish, Bossier Parish and Claiborne Parish.	U.S. Secretary of StateDaniel Webster	35,238	615sq mi (1,593km2)
West Baton Rouge Parish	121	Port Allen	1807	One of the original 19 parishes. Was named Baton Rouge Parish until 1812.	French phrasebâton rougemeaningred stick.A red stick was used by localNative Americansto mark the boundaries between tribal territories	28,266	203sq mi (526km2)
West Carroll Parish	123	Oak Grove, West Carroll Parish	1877	when Carroll Parish was divided.	Charles Carroll of Carrollton,the last surviving signer of theU.S. Declaration of Independence	9,323	360sq mi (932km2)
West Feliciana Parish	125	St. Francisville	1824	when Feliciana Parish was divided.	Felicite de Gálvez, the wife ofBernardo de Gálvez,a Spanish governor ofLouisiana (New Spain)	15,371	426sq mi (1,103km2)
Winn Parish	127	Winnfield	1852	from parts of Catahoula Parish, Natchitoches Parish and Rapides Parish.	Louisiana state legislator Walter Winn	13,216	957sq mi (2,479km2)

Former parishes

• Attakapas Parishexisted from 1805 to 1811.
• Biloxi Parishformed in 1811 from West Florida territory. It was eliminated in 1812 when it was transferred to the Mississippi Territory.
• Carroll Parishformed in 1838 from part of Ouachita Parish. In 1877, it was divided into East Carroll Parish and West Carroll Parish.
• Feliciana Parishformed in 1810 from West Florida territory. In 1824, it was divided into East Feliciana Parish and West Feliciana Parish.
• German Coast Parishexisted from 1805 to 1807.
• Opelousas Parish, renamed toSt. Landry Parishin 1805
• Pascagoula Parishformed in 1811 from West Florida territory. It was eliminated in 1812 when it was transferred to the Mississippi Territory.
• Warren Parishformed in 1811 from part of Concordia Parish, and merged into Concordia Parish and Ouachita Parish in 1814.

Counties in 1803

The original twelve counties (later, parishes) defined by the Territorial Legislative Council in 1803 were:

• Acadia Parish
• Attakapas County
• Concordia Parish
• German Coast County
• Iberville Parish
• Lafourche Parish
• Natchitoches Parish
• Opelousas County
• Orleans County
• Ouachita Parish
• Pointe Coupee Parish
• Rapides Parish

In 1807, German Coast County was divided into several different parishes, when theTerritorial Councilrevised the list from 12 to 19. Similarly, in 1811 Attakapas County was subdivided. The names German Coast and Attakapas were dropped when the counties were divided, merged or changed into parishes.

Fictional parishes

• In the novelsLittle Altars Everywhere,Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,and Ya-Yas in Bloom, authorRebecca Wellscreated the fictionalGarnet Parish.
• The movieSteel Magnoliaswas said to take place in the fictionalChinquapin Parish,likely a suburban parish ofShreveport.However, the movie was shot inNatchitoches,and involved several elements of culture indicative of the town and parish of the same name. For example, the annualChristmasFestival of Lights in Natchitoches is shown, as areCajundance styles with a distinctive country-Cajun band. (Natchitoches is in theCrossroadsregion of Louisiana, where southern Louisiana's predominantlyCatholic,Cajunculture meets the primarilyProtestant,Angloculture of northern Louisiana.)
• Part ofWalter Jon Williams' novelThe Riftis set in the fictionalSpottswood Parish.
• The Southern Vampire Mysteriesseries of novels written byCharlaine Harrisand HBO'sTrue Blood,which is based on the novels, take place in the fictional northwestern LouisianaRenard Parish.
• In the movieIn the Electric Mist,Deputy Jason J. Bayard was from the fictionalSt. Clare Parish.
• In theDC ComicsUniverse,Belle Reve Parishis a parish in Louisiana that contains the Bell Reve Penitentiary.
• In the movieThe Green Mile,a fictional parish namedTrapingus Parishis featured in the movie. The film was actually shot inTennessee.
• In the Cinemax TV seriesBanshee,Chayton Littlestone is seen fighting in the fictionalSang Tholis Parish,which is said to be in New Orleans. "Sang" is the French word for "blood", but could also be a dialect for "sans", without. "Tholis" is not a French word. In reality, the city of New Orleans is located entirely inOrleans Parish.
• In the movieDoctor Detroit,protagonist Clifford Skridlow (played byDan Aykroyd) appears in a Detroit court as a stereotypical (based on "Atticus Finch" inTo Kill a Mockingbird) Southern attorney fromBay Saint Louis Parish.
• In the 2017 video gameResident Evil 7: Biohazard,the vast majority of the game takes place in the fictionalDulvey Parish,somewhere on the coast.
• The "Faster, Baby!" DLC forMafia III,also a 2017 video game, takes place inSinclair Parishjust west of the fictional city of 'New Bordeaux', a fictional version of New Orleans set in 1968.
• In the 1973James BondfilmLive and Let Die,Sheriff J.W. Pepper (Clifton James) ofPontrain Parishis featured as a supporting character. The parish name is likely derived from the realLake Pontchartrain.
• In Season 2 ofDesignated Survivora flu outbreak originates inSouth Carroll Parish.
• The television seriesQueen Sugaris set inSt. Josephine Parish,which bordersOrleans Parishand is where the titular family; the Bordelon's, reside.
• The 2006 sequel movieRoad House 2is set in the coastalTyree Parish.
• The 2011 crime thriller filmCatch.44takes place inCivil Parish,with one of the antagonists stealing a parish sheriff deputy's uniform.
• The 2013 action thrillerHomefronttakes place in the fictionalLabranche Parish,possibly named after or inspired by the realLaBranche Plantation Dependency.
• The 2014 supernatural horror filmJessabelleis set in the fictionalFeliciana Parish,a genericised version ofWest Feliciana Parish.
• In theDC UniverseseriesSwamp Thing,the primary setting isMontrivelle Parish.Thecounty seatof the parish is the also fictional city of Marais.
• In the 1972 movie “Buck and the Preacher” starring Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte and Ruby Dee, the members of the rescued wagon train were former slaves from the fictional St. Ann, Parish Louisiana.

See also

• List of United States counties and county equivalents