List of Texas County Seat Name Etymologies

County Seat	County	Named for
Madisonville	Madison	James Madison, fourth President of the United States
Marfa	Presidio	Uncertain, though reportedly suggested by the wife of a railroad executive from a character in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov, which she was reading at the time
Marlin	Falls	John Marlin, pioneer and father-in-law of town founder Samuel A. Blain
Marshall	Harrison	John Marshall, fourth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court
Mason	Mason	Fort Mason, whose etymology is uncertain, though it was probably named after either Lt. George T. Mason, killed during the Mexican-American War at Brownsville, Texas, or for Gen. Richard Barnes Mason.
Matador	Motley	The Matador Ranch, which was located in the county
McKinney	Collin	Collin McKinney, one of five drafters and the oldest signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and early settler in the county
Memphis	Hall	Following a series of failures for the town to select a name not already in use, Rev. John Brice fortuitously noticed a letter in Austin addressed to Memphis, Texas, and marked No such town in Texas
Menard	Menard	Michel Branamour Menard, the founder of Galveston, Texas
Mentone	Loving	Old Mentone, which was named for Menton, France, the hometown of one of its early settlers
Meridian	Bosque	Uncertain, though most likely due to Commissioner Jasper N. Mabray's belief the town lay on or near the 98th meridian west. Surveyor George Erath had previously named Meridian Creek and Meridian Knobs for such a proximity.
Mertzon	Irion	M. L. Mertz, a director of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway
Miami	Roberts	Uncertain: Reportedly an Indian word meaning "sweetheart," but could also be named for rivers or other cities named after the Miami Indians
Midland	Midland	Its location midway between Fort Worth and El Paso on the Texas and Pacific Railway
Monahans	Ward	Thomas John Monahan, who dug the first water well between the Pecos River and Big Spring in 1881 and selected the site for a water tank
Montague	Montague	Daniel Montague, a state senator and early surveyor
Morton	Cochran	Morton Smith, a land agent hired to sell the property after the death of the original landowner
Mount Pleasant	Titus	A nearby Caddo burial site known as "Pleasant Mound"
Mount Vernon	Franklin	Mount Vernon, George Washington's homestead
Muleshoe	Bailey	The nearby Muleshoe Ranch