List of counties in Maryland

There are twenty-three counties and Baltimore City in the U.S. state of Maryland. Though an independent city rather than a county, the City of Baltimore by some is considered the equal of a county for most purposes and is a county-equivalent.

Alphabetical listing

County	FIPS code	County seat	Established	Origin	Meaning of name	Population (2020)	Area	Map
Allegany County	001	Cumberland	1789	Formed from part of Washington County	From the Lenape Indian word oolikhanna, which means "beautiful stream"	68,106	430 sq mi (1,114 km2)
Anne Arundel County	003	Annapolis	1650	Formed from part of St. Mary's County	Anne Arundell was the maiden name of the wife of Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Between 1654 and 1658 it was known as Providence County by Puritan settlers	588,261	588 sq mi (1,523 km2)
Baltimore County	005	Towson	1659	Formed from unorganized territory	Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, first proprietor of the Maryland colony	854,535	682 sq mi (1,766 km2)
Baltimore City	510	Baltimore City	1851	Founded in 1729. Detached in 1851 from Baltimore County	Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, first proprietor of the Maryland colony	585,708	92 sq mi (238 km2)
Calvert County	009	Prince Frederick	1654	Formed as Patuxent County from unorganized territory. Renamed Calvert County in 1658	The Calvert family; prior to 1658 it was called Patuxent County, after the Patuxent Indians, a branch of the Algonquians	92,783	345 sq mi (894 km2)
Caroline County	011	Denton	1773	From parts of Dorchester County and Queen Anne's County	Lady Caroline Eden, daughter of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore	33,293	326 sq mi (844 km2)
Carroll County	013	Westminster	1837	From parts of Baltimore County and Frederick County	Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a representative to the Continental Congress and signatory of the Declaration of Independence	172,891	452 sq mi (1,171 km2)
Cecil County	015	Elkton	1674	From parts of Baltimore County and Kent County	Cecil is an Anglicized form of the first name of Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore	103,725	418 sq mi (1,083 km2)
Charles County	017	La Plata	1658	From unorganized territory	Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, second proprietor of the Maryland colony	166,617	643 sq mi (1,665 km2)
Dorchester County	019	Cambridge	1668	From unorganized territory	Dorchester in Dorset, England; the Earl of Dorset was a friend of the Calvert family	32,531	983 sq mi (2,546 km2)
Frederick County	021	Frederick	1748	From part of Prince George's County	Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, final proprietor of the Maryland colony	271,717	667 sq mi (1,728 km2)
Garrett County	023	Oakland	1872	From part of Allegany County	John Work Garrett, president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad	28,806	656 sq mi (1,699 km2)
Harford County	025	Bel Air	1773	From part of Baltimore County	Henry Harford, illegitimate son of Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore	260,924	527 sq mi (1,365 km2)
Howard County	027	Ellicott City	1851	From parts of Anne Arundel County and Baltimore County	John Eager Howard, an American Revolutionary War officer and governor of Maryland	332,317	254 sq mi (658 km2)
Kent County	029	Chestertown	1642	From unorganized territory	The English county of Kent	19,198	414 sq mi (1,072 km2)
Montgomery County	031	Rockville	1776	From part of Frederick County	Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general	1,062,061	507 sq mi (1,313 km2)
Prince George's County	033	Upper Marlboro	1696	From parts of Calvert County and Charles County	Prince George of Denmark, the husband of Queen Anne of Great Britain	967,201	498 sq mi (1,290 km2)
Queen Anne's County	035	Centreville	1706	From parts of Talbot County	Anne, Queen of Great Britain	49,874	510 sq mi (1,321 km2)
Somerset County	039	Princess Anne	1666	From unorganized territory.	Mary, Lady Somerset, sister-in-law of Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore	24,620	611 sq mi (1,582 km2)
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	113,777	611 sq mi (1,582 km2)
Talbot County	041	Easton	1662	From part of Kent County	Grace, Lady Talbot, sister of Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore	37,526	477 sq mi (1,235 km2)
Washington County	043	Hagerstown	1776	From part of Frederick County	George Washington, first President of the United States	154,705	468 sq mi (1,212 km2)
Wicomico County	045	Salisbury	1867	From parts of Somerset County and Worcester County	The Wicomico River; in Lenape, wicko mekee indicated "a place where houses are built", possibly in reference to a settlement	103,588	400 sq mi (1,036 km2)
Worcester County	047	Snow Hill	1742	From part of Somerset County	Mary Arundell, the wife of Sir John Somerset, son of Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester, and sister of Anne Arundell, the wife of Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore	52,460	695 sq mi (1,800 km2)

Map

Counties of Maryland.

Former counties

County	Years of existence	Etymology
Old Charles County	1650–1654	Charles I, King of England
Durham County	1669–1672	The English County Durham
Old Worcester County	1672–1685	Mary Arundell, the wife of Sir John Somerset, son of the 1st Marquess of Worcester, and sister of Anne Arundell, wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore