County Name

Date Formed

Abbrev

Notes

Adams

Feb 16, 1867

Ad

Antelope

Mar 1, 1871

An

Arthur

Mar 31, 1887

Ar

Banner

Nov 6, 1888

Ba

Formed from Cheyenne County.

Blaine

Mar 5, 1885

Bln

Blackbird

1865

Bbd

Formed from Burt County. Abolished in 1889.

Boone

Mar 28, 1871

Boo

Box Butte

Nov 2, 1886

BB

Formed from Dawes County.

Boyd

Mar 20, 1891

Boy

Formed from Holt County.

Brown

Feb 19, 1883

Br

Buffalo

Mar 14, 1855

Buf

Burt

Feb 18, 1855

Bur

Lost to Omaha Reservation in 1857.

Butler

Jan 26, 1856

But

Formed from Greene County

Calhoun

1856

Cal

Formed from Lancaster and Douglas Counties. Named changed to Saunders in 1862.

Cass

Mar 7, 1855

Cas

Cedar

Feb 12, 1857

Ce

Now mostly in Thurston County. Formed from Pierce and Dixon Counties. Gained area from Dixon in 1857.

Chase

Feb 27, 1873

Cha

Cherry

Feb 23, 1883

Cry

Cheyenne

Jun 6, 1871

Cyn

Clay (old)

1855

Cl

Merged into Lancaster and Gage Counties in 1863.

Clay

Feb 16, 1867

Cl

Formed from Unorganized territory.

Colfax

Feb 15, 1869

Co

Cuming

Mar 16, 1855

Cum

Formed from Burt County. Lost to Omaha Reservation in 1857.

Custer

Feb 17. 1877

Cus

Dakota

Mar 7, 1855

Dak

Formed from Burt County. Lost to Omaha Reservation in 1857.

Dawes

Feb 19, 1885

Dws

Formed from Sioux County

Dawson

Mar 7, 1871

Dsn

Deuel

Nov 6, 1888

De

Formed from Cheyenne County.

Dixon (old)

Di

Now Saunders County

Dixon

Jan 26, 1856

Di

Formed from Izard and Blackbird Counties. Lost to Omaha Reservation in 1857. Gained area from Dakota County.

Dodge

Mar 6, 1855

Dod

Formed from Pierce and Dixon Counties. Gained area from Washington County in 1858.

Douglas

Mar 2, 1856

Dou

Dundy

Feb 27, 1873

Dun

Elkhorn

Elk

Emmett

1867

Em

Name changed from L'Eau Qui Court. Named changed to Knox in 1873.

Fillmore

Jan 26, 1856

Fi

Formed from Jackson County

Forney

1854

Fo

Named changed to Nemaha

Franklin

Mar 9, 1871

Fra

Formed from Kearney County

Frontier

Jan 17, 1872

Fro

Furnas

Feb 27, 1873

Fu

Gage

Mar 16, 1855

Gag

Garden

1910

Gdn

Formed from Deuel County.

Garfield

Nov 8, 1881

Gfd

Formed from Wheeler County.

Gosper

Mar 2, 1881

Go

Grant

Mar 31, 1888

Gnt

Grant (old)

1870

Gnt

Listed as County in 1870 Federal Census.

Greeley

Mar 1, 1871

Gly

Greene

Grn

Formed from Cass County. Named changed to Seward in 1862.

Hall

Nov 4, 1858

Hal

Hamilton

Feb 16, 1867

Ham

Harlan

Jun 3, 1871

Hln

Formed from Kearney and Unorg. Territory.

Harrison

1870

Listed as County on 1870 Federal Census.

Hayes

Feb 19, 1877

Hay

Hitchcock

Feb 27, 1873

Hi

Holt

Jan 9, 1862

Hol

Hooker

Mar 29, 1889

Hoo

Howard

Mar 1, 1871

How

Formed from Hall County.

Izard

1865

Iz

Formed from Burt County. Moved to new location in 1856+D77

Jackson

Ja

Became Nemaha County. Eliminated in 1856

Jackson (new)

1870

Ja

Listed as County in 1870 Federal Census.

Jefferson (old)

1856

Je

Merged into Jones County in 1867.

Jefferson

Jan 26, 1871

Je

Johnson (old)

Joh

Eliminated in 1856

Johnson

Feb 10, 1857

Joh

Formed from Nemaha and Otoe Counties.

Jones

1856, 1865

Jon

Name changed to Jefferson in 1867.

Kearney

Jan 10, 1860

Kea

Keith

Feb 27, 1873

Kei

Keya Paha

Nov 4, 1884

KP

Formed from Brown County and Unorg. Territory.

Kimball

Nov 6, 1888

Ki

Formed from Cheyenne County.

Knox

Feb 21, 1873

Kn

Named changed from Emmett in 1873.

Lancaster

Mar 6, 1855

La

Formed from Cass and Pierce Counties

Lincoln

Jan 7, 1860

Li

Orginally Shorter County.

Logan

Feb 24, 1885

Log

Loup (old)

1865

Lou

Formed from Burt County. Eliminated in 1856

Loup

Jul 23, 1883

Lou

L'Eau Qui Court

1857

LQC

Became the current Jefferson County. Formed from Pierce and Dixon Counties and Unorg.

Lynn

1870

Listed as County in 1870 Federal Census.

Madison

Dec 1856

Ma

Formed from McNeale and old Loup Counties

McNeale

McN

Formed from Burt County

McPherson

Mar 31, 1887

Mcp

Merrick

Nov 4, 1858

Mer

Monroe

1856

Mon

Formed from Loup County. Lost to Pawnee Reservation in 1857. Merged into Platte County in 1860.

Monroe (new)

1870

Mon

Listed as County in 1870 Federal Census.

Morrill

1908

Mrl

Formed from Cheyenne County.

Morton

1860

Mtn

Now part of Wyoming. Separated from Nebraska in 1863.

Nance

Feb 13, 1879

Na

Formed from Pawnee Reservation.

Nemaha

Mar 7, 1855

Ne

Nuckolls

Jan 13, 1871

Nu

Otoe (old)

Ot

Became part of Madison, Pierce and Izard counties, eliminated in 1856

Otoe

Mar 2, 1855

Ot

Originally Pierce County

Pawnee

Mar 6, 1855

Pa

Formed from Richardson County

Perkins

Nov 8, 1887

Pe

Formed from Keith County.

Phelps

Feb 11, 1873

Ph

Formed from Kearney County

Pierce

Jan 26, 1856

Pi

Formed from Izard and McNeale Counties

Platte

Jan 26, 1856

Pl

Formed from Loup and Greene Counties

Polk

Aug 6, 1870

Po

Formed from York and Unorg. Lost to Pawnee Reservation in 1857.

Red Willow

Feb 27, 1873

Rw

Richardson

Nov 23, 1854

Ri

Rock

Nov 1888

Ro

Formed from Brown County.

Saline

Jan 16, 1855

Sal

Moved to new location in 1856

Sarpy

Feb 7, 1857

Sar

Formed from Douglas and Cass Counties

Saunders

Jan 8, 1862

Sau

Formed from Cass County.

Scotts Bluff

Nov 6, 1888

SB

Formed from Cheyenne County.

Seward

Jan 3, 1862

Se

Sheridan

Feb 25, 1885

Sdn

Formed from Sioux County

Sherman

Mar 1, 1871

Smn

Formed from Buffalo County and Unorg. Territory.

Shorter

1860

Sho

Named Lincoln County in 1861.

Sioux

Feb 19, 1877

Si

Stanton

Jan 10, 1862

St

Taylor

1870

Listed as County in 1870 Federal Census.

Thayer

1867

Tha

Formed from Jefferson County.

Thomas

Mar 31, 1887

Tho

Thurston

Nov 15, 1889

Thu

Formed from Blackbird County and Omaha Reservation.

Valley

Mar 1, 1871

Va

Washington

Feb 22, 1855

Was

Wayne

Mar 4, 1871

Way

Webster

Feb 16, 1867

Web

West

1861

Wes

Named changed to Holt in 1862.

Wheeler

Feb 17, 1877

Wh

Wilson

1860

Wsn

Now part of Wyoming. D82

York

Mar 12, 1855

Yo

Formed from Cass, Pierce Counties and Unorg