Formation of North Carolina Counties
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| County | Year | Origin, Notes |
| Alamance | 1849 | Orange. |
| Albemarle* | 1664 | Original County. Dissolved 1739. |
| Alexander | 1847 | Iredell, Caldwell, Wilkes. |
| Alleghany | 1859 | Ashe. |
| Anson | 1750 | Bladen. |
| Archdale* | 1705 | Bath. Name changed to Craven 1712. |
| Ashe | 1799 | Wilkes. |
| Avery | 1911 | Caldwell, Mitchell, Watauga. |
| Bath* | 1696 | Original County. Dissolved 1739. |
| Beaufort | 1712 | Name changed from Pamptecough. |
| Berkeley* | 1670 | Albemarle. Name changed to Perquimans 1681. |
| Bertie | 1722 | Chowan. |
| Bladen | 1734 | New Hanover. |
| Brunswick | 1764 | New Hanover, Bladen. |
| Buncombe | 1791 | Burke, Rutherford. |
| Burke | 1777 | Rowan. |
| Bute* | 1764 | Granville. Divided into Warren, Franklin 1779. |
| Cabarrus | 1792 | Mecklenburg. |
| Caldwell | 1841 | Burke, Wilkes. |
| Camden | 1777 | Pasquotank. |
| Carteret | 1722 | Craven. |
| Caswell | 1777 | Orange. |
| Catawba | 1842 | Lincoln. |
| Chatham | 1770 | Orange. |
| Cherokee | 1839 | Macon. |
| Chowan | 1685 | Name changed from Shaftesbury. |
| Clarendon* | 1664 | Original County, Discontinued 1667. |
| Clay | 1861 | Cherokee. |
| Cleveland | 1841 | Rutherford, Lincoln. |
| Columbus | 1808 | Bladen, Brunswick |
| Craven | 1712 | Name changed from Archdale. |
| Cumberland | 1754 | Bladen. |
| Currituck | 1670 | Albemarle. |
| Dare | 1870 | Currituck, Tyrrell, Hyde. |
| Davidson* (TN) | 1783 | Washington (TN). Ceded to U.S. in 1790. |
| Davidson | 1822 | Rowan. |
| Davie | 1836 | Rowan. |
| Dobbs* | 1758 | Johnston. Divided into Glasgow, Lenoir 1791. |
| Duplin | 1750 | New Hanover. |
| Durham | 1881 | Orange, Wake. |
| Edgecombe | 1741 | Bertie. |
| Forsyth | 1849 | Stokes. |
| Franklin | 1779 | Bute. |
| Gaston | 1846 | Lincoln. |
| Gates | 1778 | Chowan, Hertford, Perquimans. |
| Glasgow* | 1791 | Dobbs. Name changed to Greene 1799. |
| Graham | 1872 | Cherokee. |
| Granville | 1746 | Edgecombe. |
| Greene* (TN) | 1783 | Washington (TN). Ceded to U.S. in 1790. |
| Greene | 1799 | Name changed from Glasgow 1799. |
| Guilford | 1770 | Rowan, Orange. |
| Halifax | 1758 | Edgecombe. |
| Harnett | 1855 | Cumberland. |
| Hawkins* (TN) | 1787 | Sullivan (TN). Ceded to U.S. in 1790. |
| Haywood | 1808 | Buncombe. |
| Henderson | 1838 | Buncombe. |
| Hertford | 1759 | Bertie, Chowan, Northampton. |
| Hoke | 1911 | Cumberland, Robeson. |
| Hyde | 1712 | Name changed from Wickham. |
| Iredell | 1788 | Rowan. |
| Jackson | 1851 | Haywood, Macon. |
| Johnston | 1746 | Craven. |
| Jones | 1778 | Craven. |
| Lee | 1907 | Chatham, Moore. |
| Lenoir | 1791 | Dobbs. |
| Lincoln | 1779 | Tryon. |
| Macon | 1828 | Haywood. |
| Madison | 1851 | Buncombe, Yancey. |
| Martin | 1774 | Halifax, Tyrrell. |
| McDowell | 1842 | Burke, Rutherford. |
| Mecklenburg | 1762 | Anson. |
| Mitchell | 1861 | Watauga, Yancey. |
| Montgomery | 1778 | Anson. |
| Moore | 1784 | Cumberland. |
| Nash | 1777 | Edgecombe. |
| New Hanover | 1729 | Craven. |
| Northampton | 1741 | Bertie. |
| Onslow | 1734 | New Hanover. |
| Orange | 1752 | Bladen, Granville, Johnston. |
| Pamlico | 1872 | Beaufort, Craven. |
| Pamptecough* | 1705 | Bath. Name changed to Beaufort 1712. |
| Pasquotank | 1670 | Albemarle. |
| Pender | 1875 | New Hanover. |
| Perquimans | 1681 | Name changed from Berkeley. |
| Person | 1791 | Caswell. |
| Pitt | 1760 | Beaufort. |
| Polk* | 1847 | Henderson, Rutherford. Abolished 1848. |
| Polk | 1855 | Henderson, Rutherford. |
| Randolph | 1778 | Guilford. |
| Richmond | 1779 | Anson. |
| Robeson | 1786 | Bladen. |
| Rockingham | 1785 | Guilford. |
| Rowan | 1753 | Anson. |
| Rutherford | 1779 | Tryon. |
| Sampson | 1784 | Duplin. |
| Scotland | 1899 | Richmond. |
| Shaftesbury* | 1670 | Albemarle. Name changed to Chowan 1685. |
| Stanley | 1841 | Montgomery. |
| Stokes | 1789 | Surry. |
| Sullivan* (TN) | 1779 | Washington (TN). Ceded to U.S. in 1790. |
| Sumner* (TN) | 1787 | Davidson (TN). Ceded to U.S. in 1790. |
| Surry | 1770 | Rowan. |
| Swain | 1871 | Jackson, Macon. |
| Tennessee* (TN) | 1788 | Davidson (TN). Ceded to U.S. in 1790. |
| Transylvania | 1861 | Henderson, Jackson. |
| Tryon* | 1768 | Mecklenburg. Divided into Lincoln, Rutherford 1779. |
| Tyrrell | 1729 | Bertie, Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank. |
| Union | 1842 | Anson, Mecklenburg. |
| Vance | 1881 | Franklin, Granville, Warren. |
| Wake | 1770 | Cumberland, Johnston, Orange. |
| Walton* (GA) | 1803 | Formed by GA inside NC. Abolished 1812. |
| Warren | 1779 | Bute. |
| Washington*(TN) | 1776 | Western lands. Ceded to U.S. in 1790. |
| Washington | 1799 | Tyrrell. |
| Watauga | 1849 | Ashe, Caldwell, Wilkes, Yancey. |
| Wayne | 1779 | Dobbs. |
| Wickham* | 1705 | Bath. Name changed to Hyde 1712. |
| Wilkes | 1777 | Surry, Washington (TN). |
| Wilson | 1855 | Edgecombe, Johnston, Nash, Wayne. |
| Yadkin | 1850 | Surry. |
| Yancey | 1833 | Buncombe, Burke. |
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1. All counties marked with an asterisk * are no longer extant or no
longer within the bounds of North Carolina. North Carolina currently has 100
counties.
2. All counties formed from Bath and Albemarle were actually "Precincts" of those two counties until 1739 when they all became designated as "counties", when Albemarle and Bath Counties were dissolved.
3. The 7 Counties marked (TN) are in what is now the State of Tennessee, but when created, where considered in North Carolina. This territory was ceded to the U.S. Government in 1790. From 1790 through 1796 this land was known as the "Territory South of the Ohio River". In 1796 it became the State of Tennessee.
4. Walton County, Georgia was formed erroneously by the State of Georgia inside North Carolina's boundaries in 1803. This caused quite a bit of confusion at the time. The county boundaries are impossible to figure out, but was in the area of modern Jackson and Transylvania Counties. In those days (1803-1812) the area was also claimed by Buncombe and Haywood Counties.
REFERENCES:
"The Handy Book for Genealogists", Eighth Edition. The Everton Publishers, Inc., Logan, UT 1991
"Map Guide to the Federal Censuses, 1790-1920", William Thorndale and William Dollarhide, Baltimore. Genealogical Publishing Co., 1987
"The AniMap County Boundary Historical Atlas", Adrian B. Ettlinger from The Gold Bug, Alamo, CA. (Computer Software). * They have maps showing the progression of County Boundary changes for each state. Excellent program!. This is available for purchase at the link above (highly recommended!)