By Spencer Kent | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com | Posted February 14, 2019 at 11:30 AM
Inspiration of names
Inspiration of names
This post was originally published in December 2016.
Before North and South Jersey, the state was divided into East and West. Many of the county names before the American Revolution have Dutch, British and Quaker roots — a reflection of the early settlers, according to Maxine Lurie, emerita and adjunct professor in Seton Hall University's History Department. But, after the Revolution, Lurie said counties were named instead after bodies of water, important towns and Revolutionary War heroes.
Atlantic County
The Atlantic County Jail and Courthouse at Mays Landing, courtesy of Rutgers University Libraries System
Atlantic County
Named after the ocean on which it borders, Atlantic County was established from a portion of Gloucester County in 1837. It was one of the seven counties created during a 20-year period that brought the final county total to 21.
Bergen County
File Photo
Bergen County
Established in 1683 and settled by the Dutch in the early 1600s, Bergen County was named after Bergen, North Holland. This area was home to New Jersey's first permanent settlement.
In 1640, David Pietersen de Vries, a Dutch explorer, founded the first colony in present-day Bergen County. Three years later the colony was destroyed by the Hackensack and Tappan Native Americans.
Burlington County
Rutgers University Libraries System
Burlington County
Named after Bridlington, a town in England, Burlington County was established in 1694. It was one of the first two counties created in West Jersey and had extended all the way to present-day Hunterdon County. Burlington City also became the capital of West Jersey at one point.
Camden County
File Photo
Camden County
Established in 1844, Camden County was named after Earl of Camden Charles Pratt, a member of English parliament who supported the cause of the colonists leading up to American Revolution and opposed England's tax on them, according to Bonny Beth Elwell, library director at the Camden County Historical Society.