List of counties in Maryland

Independent city and counties of Maryland
Location	State of Maryland
Number	23 counties and 1 Independent city
Populations	(Counties only):19,303 (Kent) – 1,058,474 (Montgomery)
Areas	(Counties only):254 square miles (660 km2) (Howard) – 983 square miles (2,550 km2) (Dorchester)
Government	County government
Subdivisions	(Counties):cities, towns, unincorporated communities,census designated place (Independent city):Neighborhoods

There are 23countiesand oneindependent cityin the U.S. state ofMaryland.Though formally an independent city rather than a county, theCity of Baltimoreis considered the equal of a county for most purposes and is functionally a county-equivalent in most respects. Many of the counties in Maryland were named for relatives of theBarons Baltimore,who were the proprietors of the Maryland colony from its founding in 1634 through 1771. The Barons Baltimore wereCatholic,andGeorge Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore,originally intended that the colony be a haven for English Catholics, though for most of its history Maryland has had a majority ofProtestants.

History

The last new county formation in Maryland occurred whenGarrett Countywas formed in 1872 from portions ofAllegany County.However, there have been numerous changes to county borders since that time, most recently when portions of the city ofTakoma Parkthat had previously been part ofPrince George's Countywere absorbed intoMontgomery Countyin 1997.

OutsideBaltimore(which is anindependent city) the county is the default unit of local government. Under Maryland law, counties exercise powers reserved in most other states at the municipal or state levels, so there is little incentive for a community to incorporate. Many of the state's most populous and economically important communities, such asBethesda,Silver Spring,Columbia,andTowsonareunincorporatedand receive their municipal services from the county. In fact, there are no incorporated municipalities at all in Baltimore County or Howard County. The county-equivalent is also the provider of public schools—school districtsas a separate level of government do not exist in Maryland.

The City of Baltimore generally possesses the same powers and responsibilities as the counties within the state. It is an entity nearly surrounded by but separate from theCounty of Baltimore,which has its county seat inTowson.

TheFederal Information Processing Standard(FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify states and counties, is provided with each entry.Maryland's code is 24, which when combined with any county code would be written as 24XXX. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.

List of counties

County	FIPScode	County seat	Est.	Origin	Etymology	Flag	Seal	Population	Area	Map
Allegany County	001	Cumberland	1789	Formed from part of Washington County	FromLenapeoolikhanna,which means "beautiful stream"			67,273	430sq mi (1,114km2)
Anne Arundel County	003	Annapolis	1650	Formed from part of St. Mary's County	Anne Arundellwas the maiden name of the wife ofCecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore.Between 1654 and 1658 it was known asProvidenceCounty byPuritansettlers			594,582	588sq mi (1,523km2)
Baltimore County	005	Towson	1659	Formed from unorganized territory	Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore,first proprietor of theMaryland colony			844,703	682sq mi (1,766km2)
Baltimore City	510	Baltimore City	1851	Founded in 1729. Detached in 1851 from Baltimore County	Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore,first proprietor of theMaryland colony			565,239	92sq mi (238km2)
Calvert County	009	Prince Frederick	1654	Formed as Patuxent County from unorganized territory. Renamed Calvert County in 1658	TheCalvert family;prior to 1658 it was called Patuxent County, after the Patuxent Indians, a branch of theAlgonquians			94,728	345sq mi (894km2)
Caroline County	011	Denton	1773	From parts of Dorchester County and Queen Anne's County	Lady Caroline Eden, daughter ofCharles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore			33,593	326sq mi (844km2)
Carroll County	013	Westminster	1837	From parts of Baltimore County and Frederick County	Charles Carroll of Carrollton,a representative to theContinental Congressand signatory of theDeclaration of Independence			176,639	452sq mi (1,171km2)
Cecil County	015	Elkton	1674	From parts of Baltimore County and Kent County	Cecil is an Anglicized form of the first name ofCecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore			105,672	418sq mi (1,083km2)
Charles County	017	La Plata	1658	From unorganized territory	Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore,second proprietor of theMaryland colony			171,973	643sq mi (1,665km2)
Dorchester County	019	Cambridge	1668	From unorganized territory	Dorchesterin Dorset, England; theEarl of Dorsetwas a friend of the Calvert family			32,879	983sq mi (2,546km2)
Frederick County	021	Frederick	1748	From part of Prince George's County	Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore,final proprietor of theMaryland colony			293,391	667sq mi (1,728km2)
Garrett County	023	Oakland	1872	From part of Allegany County	John Work Garrett,president of theBaltimore and Ohio Railroad			28,423	656sq mi (1,699km2)
Harford County	025	Bel Air	1773	From part of Baltimore County	Henry Harford,illegitimate son ofFrederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore			264,644	527sq mi (1,365km2)
Howard County	027	Ellicott City	1851	From parts of Anne Arundel County and Baltimore County	John Eager Howard,anAmerican Revolutionary Warofficer andgovernor of Maryland			336,001	254sq mi (658km2)
Kent County	029	Chestertown	1642	From unorganized territory	The English county ofKent			19,303	414sq mi (1,072km2)
Montgomery County	031	Rockville	1776	From part of Frederick County	Richard Montgomery,anAmerican Revolutionary Wargeneral			1,058,474	507sq mi (1,313km2)
Prince George's County	033	Upper Marlboro	1696	From parts of Calvert County and Charles County	Prince George of Denmark,the husband of QueenAnne of Great Britain			947,430	498sq mi (1,290km2)
Queen Anne's County	035	Centreville	1706	From parts of Talbot County	Anne, Queen of Great Britain			52,508	510sq mi (1,321km2)
Somerset County	039	Princess Anne	1666	From unorganized territory.	Mary, Lady Somerset, sister-in-law ofCecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore			24,910	611sq mi (1,582km2)
St. Mary's County	037	Leonardtown	1637	From unorganized territory. Was named Potomac County between 1654 and 1658.	The Virgin Mary,first county named in a colony intended to be a haven for Catholics			115,281	611sq mi (1,582km2)
Talbot County	041	Easton	1662	From part of Kent County	Grace, Lady Talbot, sister ofCecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore			37,823	477sq mi (1,235km2)
Washington County	043	Hagerstown	1776	From part of Frederick County	George Washington,first President of the United States	None		155,813	468sq mi (1,212km2)
Wicomico County	045	Salisbury	1867	From parts of Somerset County and Worcester County	TheWicomico River;inLenape,wicko mekeeindicated "a place where houses are built", possibly in reference to a settlement			104,800	400sq mi (1,036km2)
Worcester County	047	Snow Hill	1742	From part of Somerset County	Mary Arundell, the wife of Sir John Somerset, son ofHenry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester,and sister of Anne Arundell, the wife ofCecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore			54,171	695sq mi (1,800km2)

Defunct counties

County	Years of existence	Etymology
Old Charles County	1650–1654	KingCharles IofEngland
Durham County	1669–1672	The EnglishCounty Durham
Old Worcester County	1672–1685	Mary Arundell, the wife of Sir John Somerset, son of the1st Marquess of Worcester, and sister of Anne Arundell, wife ofCecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore

See also

• Maryland statistical areas
• List of ghost towns in Maryland