List of U.S. Counties Named After Rivers - K

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• Kalamazoo County, Michigan is named for the Kalamazoo River. Kalamazoo is an Anglicized Native American word which probably meant boiling water.
• Kankakee County, Illinois: Kankakee is named after the Kankakee River.
• Kanabec County, Minnesota: Kanabec is named after the Snake River, which flows through the area. Kanabec is Ojibwa for snake.
• Kanawha County, West Virginia: Kanawha is named for the Kanawha River.
• Kennebec County, Maine: Kennebec is named for the Kennebec River.
• Kern County, California: Kern is named after the Kern River, which is named in turn for Edward M. Kern, a topographer who accompanied John C. Frémont on an early expedition through the state.
• Keya Paha County, Nebraska: Keya Paha is named for the Dakota words Ké-ya Pa-há Wa-kpá, which, translated, mean Turtle Hill River.
• Kings County, California: Kings is named for the Kings River.
• Koochiching County, Minnesota is named after a Cree word of uncertain meaning given by Ojibwas to Rainy River.