Le Sueur County: Named in honor of Pierre Charles Le Sueur, a Canadian French trader and explorer who first visited Minnesota in 1683. Est. March 5, 1853.

Lincoln County: Named in honor of Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States during the Civil War. The Legislature made four attempts to name a county in honor of Lincoln. Est. March 6, 1873.

Lyon County: Established by two legislative acts on March 6, 1868, and March 2, 1869. It’s named after General Nathaniel Lyon, who was killed in the Civil War.

cLeod County: Named after Martin McLeod, an early fur trader in Minnesota. Est. March 1, 1856.

Mahnomen County: Named after the Ojibway word for wild rice, whose root word is "mano," or spirit. Wild rice is abundant in this area. Est. Dec. 27, 1906.

Marshall County: Named after William Rainey Marshall, governor of Minnesota from 1866 to 1870. Est. Feb. 25, 1879.

Martin County: Named after Henry Martin, who moved to the area, bought large tracts of land, and then returned to his home in Connecticut. Other accounts have the county named after Morgan Lewis Martin, a U.S. representative from Wisconsin who introduced the law calling for the organization of the Territory of Minnesota. Est. May 23, 1857.

Meeker County: Named after Bradley B. Meeker, an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1849 to 1853. Est. Feb. 23, 1856.

Mille Lacs County: Named after the county’s large lake called Mille Lacs, which, in French, means a thousand lakes. It was known to the Dakota as "spirit lake," and to the Ojibway as "great," or "everywhere lake." Est. May 23, 1857.

Morrison County: Named after William and Allan Morrison, two brothers who settled and worked in this area. Est. Feb. 25, 1856.

Mower County: Named in honor of John E. Mower, a lumber worker and state legislator. Est. Feb. 20, 1855.

Murray County: Named after William Pitt Murray, who served in various positions within territorial, city, and state government. Est. May 23, 1857.

icollet County: Named after geographer-explorer Joseph Nicolas Nicollet, who had a map of the area published in 1843. Est. March 5, 1853.

Nobles County: Named after William H. Nobles, a member of the Territorial Legislature. Est. May 23, 1857.

Norman County: Named in honor of the large number of Norwegians, or Normans, who settled in this county. When the county was established on Feb. 17, 1881, it had the largest proportion of Norwegians in the state.

lmsted County: Named after David Olmsted, the first mayor of St. Paul. He later became editor of the Minnesota Democrat, a pioneer newspaper. Est. Feb. 20, 1855.

Otter Tail County: Named after Otter Tail lake and river. The lake received its name from the Ojibway words for a long and narrow sand bar that was shaped like an otter’s tail.  Est. March 18, 1858.

ennington County: This county, established Nov. 23, 1910, is one of the state’s newest counties. It was named after Edmund Pennington, a longtime railroad operator.

Pine County: Named for the abundant pine trees in the area. Pine City is its county seat, and it has several lakes and rivers named "pine." Est. March 1, 1856.

Polk County: Named in honor of James Knox Polk, the 11th president of the U.S. On Polk’s next to last day in office, he signed the congressional act organizing the Minnesota Territory. Est. July 20, 1858.

Pope County: Named in honor of General John Pope who led explorations of this area. He also was commander of the U.S. Army’s Department of the Northwest, headquartered in St. Paul. Est. Feb. 20, 1862.

amsey County: Named in honor of Alexander Ramsey, the first governor of the Minnesota Territory, the second mayor of St. Paul, and the second governor of the state of Minnesota. He later served as a U.S. senator and secretary of war. Est. Oct. 27, 1849.

Red Lake County: Named after Red Lake and Red Lake River. The Ojibways named the lake for its wine-like color at sunset. Est. Dec. 24, 1896.

Redwood County: Named for the cedars and willows in the area.  Est. Feb. 6, 1862.

Renville County: Named for Joseph Renville, an early settler in Minnesota. He served with the British in the War of 1812, leading a company of Dakota warriors against U.S. forces. He later served as an interpreter, trader, and source of information about the Dakota. Est. Feb. 20, 1855.

Rice County: Named after Henry Mower Rice, one of the first two U.S. senators from Minnesota. Est. March 5, 1853.

Rock County: Named after the prominent rock deposit in the county. The rock plateau, covering three or four square miles and a height of 175 feet, also gives its name to a river within the county. Est. May 23, 1857.