List of United Kingdom county name etymologies
County name Language of origin Meaning
County Antrim Irish Named for the town of Antrim ; Irish Aontroim , meaning Lone Ridge
County Armagh Irish Named for the city of Armagh ; Irish Ard Mhacha , Macha 's height
County Londonderry Irish ( excluding London ) Named for the city of Derry , from the Irish Doire , meaning oak grove ; and London from the Plantation of Ulster by the livery companies of the City of London
County Down Irish County of Downpatrick : Patrick 's hillfort ( formerly Dún Lethglaise or Fort by the stream )
County Fermanagh Irish Irish Fir Manach , Men of Manach ( a tribal name ) . Possibly related to the Celtic tribe of the Menapii
County Tyrone Irish Irish Tír Eoghain , Eoghan 's land , referring to land conquered by the Cenél nEógain from the kingdoms of Airgíalla and Ulaid . The Cenél nEógain claimed descent from Eógan mac Néill , a possibly fictional king of the 5th century
Northern Ireland
This toponymical list of counties of the United Kingdom is a list of the origins of the names of counties of the United Kingdom. For England and Wales it includes ancient and contemporary counties.