| Parishes of Louisiana | |
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| Category | Second-leveladministrative division |
| Location | State of Louisiana |
| Number | 64 parishes |
| Populations | Greatest: 453,022 (East Baton Rouge Parish) Least: 3,844 (Tensas Parish) Average: 71,840 |
| Areas | Largest: 2,429 square miles (6,290 km2) (Plaquemines Parish) Smallest: 203 square miles (530 km2) (West Baton Rouge Parish) Average: 781 square miles (2,020 km2) |
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TheU.S. state ofLouisiana is divided into 64 parishes (French:paroisses), making it the only state besidesAlaska to call its primary subdivisions something other than "counties."[a] Louisiana's usage of the term "parish" for a geographic region or local government dates back to theFrench colonial era and is connected toecclesiastical parishes.
Thirty-eightparishes are governed by a council called apolice jury. The remaining 26 have various other forms of government, including: council-president,council-manager, parish commission, andconsolidated parish/city.[1]
Louisiana was formed from French and Spanish colonies, which were both officiallyRoman Catholic. Local colonial government was based uponparishes, as the local ecclesiastical division.
Following theLouisiana Purchase from France, the territorial legislative council in April 1805 divided theTerritory of Orleans (the predecessor of Louisiana state) into12 counties. The borders of these counties were poorly defined, but largely coincided with the colonial ecclesiastical parishes.[2][3]
On March 31, 1807, the territorial legislature created 19 parishes without abolishing any of the old counties (which term continued to exist until 1845). In 1811, a constitutional convention was held to prepare for Louisiana's admission into theUnion.[4] This organized the state into seven judicial districts, each consisting of groups of parishes. In 1816, the first official map of the state used the termparish, as did the 1845 constitution. Since then, the official term for Louisiana's primary civil divisions has beenparishes.
The 19 original parishes were joined by Catahoula Parish in 1808. In 1810four additional parishes were created from the formerlySpanish West Florida territory—these are part of what is now referred to as theFlorida Parishes.
By April 1812,Attakapas Parish became St. Martin Parish and St. Mary Parish. On April 30, the state was admitted to the Union with 25 parishes.
By 1820, Washington Parish was added, andFeliciana Parish split into West and East in 1824. The next year, Jefferson Parish was carved from Orleans Parish. By 1830, Claiborne Parish was created, and the oldWarren Parish was mostly absorbed into Ouachita Parish, only to return asCarroll Parish a few years later.
In 1838, Caddo Parish was created from Natchitoches, as were Madison and Caldwell parishes in the east. In 1839, Union Parish was formed from Ouachita, and Calcasieu was formed from St. Landry in 1840.
Five parishes were created in 1843: Bossier, DeSoto, Franklin, Sabine, and Tensas. Morehouse Parish and Vermilion Parish were formed from Ouachita and Lafayette parishes, respectively, in 1844. The next year, Jackson Parish was formed, the old county units were abandoned, and the units were officially referred to as "parishes". In 1848, Bienville Parish was formed from Claiborne Parish. In 1852, Winn Parish was formed, while parishes further south added and lost land.
In 1853, Lafourche Interior Parish was renamed to Lafourche Parish. DuringReconstruction, state government created a number of new parishes, with the first being Iberia and Richland parishes. Plans for creating a parish like Iberia from St. Martin and St. Mary parishes had dated from the 1840s. (A surveying error in Iberia's creation brokeSt. Martin Parish into two non-contiguous parts, making it andNorfolk County, Massachusetts as the only county-level units with their ownexclaves.) Tangipahoa and Grant parishes followed in 1869. In 1870, the fifth Reconstruction parish, Cameron, was created, which was followed by the sixth, seventh, and eighth parishes (Red River, Vernon, and Webster, respectively) in 1871. The ninth parish to be formed under Radical Republican rule was Lincoln, named after the late president and formed in 1873. In 1877, the old parish of Carroll divided into East and West Carroll parishes, which are unofficially called the tenth and eleventh Reconstruction parishes, as the project ended that year.
No new parishes were formed until 1886, when Acadia Parish was formed from St. Landry. Again, no new parishes were formed, this time until 1908, when the western half of Catahoula parish became LaSalle parish.
In 1910, the parish count rose to 61 with the creation of Evangeline Parish, and the 62nd, 63rd, and 64th parishes (Allen, Beauregard, and Jefferson Davis) were created from areas of Calcasieu Parish. There were several minor boundary changes afterward, the most substantial being the division ofLake Pontchartrain among Tangipahoa, St. Tammany, Orleans, Jefferson, St. John the Baptist, and St. Charles Parishes in 1979.
| Parish | FIPS code[5] | Parish Seat[6] | Est.[6] | Origin | Etymology[7] | Population[8] | Area[6] | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acadia Parish | 001 | Crowley | 1886 | from part of St. Landry Parish. | FromAcadian French. Named for theAcadians who settled the area. | 56,604 | 658 sq mi (1,704 km2) |  |
| Allen Parish | 003 | Oberlin | 1912 | from part of Calcasieu Parish. | Henry Watkins Allen, theConfederate governor ofLouisiana | 22,501 | 766 sq mi (1,984 km2) |  |
| Ascension Parish | 005 | Donaldsonville | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | Named for theAscension of Our Lord Catholic Church inDonaldsonville, Louisiana, which was named after theAscension of Jesus into Heaven | 133,534 | 303 sq mi (785 km2) |  |
| Assumption Parish | 007 | Napoleonville | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | Named forChurch of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary inPlattenville, the oldest in the state, which was named after theAssumption of the Virgin Mary | 20,050 | 364 sq mi (943 km2) |  |
| Avoyelles Parish | 009 | Marksville | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | TheAvoyelNative American people | 38,373 | 866 sq mi (2,243 km2) |  |
| Beauregard Parish | 011 | DeRidder | 1912 | from part of Calcasieu Parish. | Confederate generalP. G. T. Beauregard | 36,695 | 1,166 sq mi (3,020 km2) |  |
| Bienville Parish | 013 | Arcadia | 1848 | from part of Claiborne Parish. | Named after the founder of the city ofNew Orleans,Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville | 12,412 | 822 sq mi (2,129 km2) |  |
| Bossier Parish | 015 | Benton | 1843 | from part of Claiborne Parish. | U.S. RepresentativePierre Bossier | 131,102 | 867 sq mi (2,246 km2) |  |
| Caddo Parish | 017 | Shreveport | 1838 | from part of Natchitoches Parish. | Named for theCaddoNative American people | 224,893 | 937 sq mi (2,427 km2) |  |
| Calcasieu Parish | 019 | Lake Charles | 1840 | from part of St. Landry Parish. | After the French form of theAtakapa nameKatkōsh Yōk, meaning 'Crying Eagle', anAtakapaNative American leader | 206,861 | 1,094 sq mi (2,833 km2) |  |
| Caldwell Parish | 021 | Columbia | 1838 | from part of Catahoula Parish and Ouachita Parish. | Named for the Caldwell family, which owned a large plantation and remains politically active in the state. | 9,393 | 541 sq mi (1,401 km2) |  |
| Cameron Parish | 023 | Cameron | 1870 | from parts of Calcasieu Parish and Vermilion Parish. | U.S. Secretary of WarSimon Cameron | 4,678 | 1,932 sq mi (5,004 km2) |  |
| Catahoula Parish | 025 | Harrisonburg | 1808 | from parts of Ouachita Parish and Rapides Parish. | Catahoula Lake, formerly within the parish's boundaries and named from aTaensa/Natchez word meaningbig, clear lake | 8,280 | 739 sq mi (1,914 km2) |  |
| Claiborne Parish | 027 | Homer | 1828 | from part of Natchitoches Parish. | Governor of LouisianaWilliam C. C. Claiborne | 13,537 | 768 sq mi (1,989 km2) |  |
| Concordia Parish | 029 | Vidalia | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | Name is of uncertain origin; may be from an early land grant calledNew Concordia, from the "concord" reached by local authorities over a mutual surrender of slaves or for a mansion called Concord which was owned by Spanish governorManuel Gayoso de Lemos and located inNatchez, Mississippi | 17,797 | 749 sq mi (1,940 km2) |  |
| DeSoto Parish | 031 | Mansfield | 1843 | from parts of Caddo Parish and Natchitoches Parish. | Spanish explorerHernando de Soto | 27,274 | 895 sq mi (2,318 km2) |  |
| East Baton Rouge Parish | 033 | Baton Rouge | 1810 | from West Florida territory. | Frenchbâton rouge meaningred stick. A red stake was used by localNative Americans to mark the boundaries between tribal territories | 453,022 | 471 sq mi (1,220 km2) |  |
| East Carroll Parish | 035 | Lake Providence | 1877 | when Carroll Parish was divided. | Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of theU.S. Declaration of Independence | 6,892 | 442 sq mi (1,145 km2) |  |
| East Feliciana Parish | 037 | Clinton | 1824 | when Feliciana Parish was divided. | Felicite de Gálvez, the wife ofBernardo de Gálvez, a Spanish governor ofLouisiana (New Spain) | 19,112 | 456 sq mi (1,181 km2) |  |
| Evangeline Parish | 039 | Ville Platte | 1910 | from part of St. Landry Parish. | Acadian heroine of the poem "Evangeline" byHenry Wadsworth Longfellow | 31,745 | 680 sq mi (1,761 km2) |  |
| Franklin Parish | 041 | Winnsboro | 1843 | from parts of Carroll Parish, Catahoula Parish, Madison Parish and Ouachita Parish | Founding FatherBenjamin Franklin | 19,107 | 636 sq mi (1,647 km2) |  |
| Grant Parish | 043 | Colfax | 1869 | from parts of Rapides Parish and Winn Parish. | U.S. PresidentUlysses S. Grant | 22,109 | 664 sq mi (1,720 km2) |  |
| Iberia Parish | 045 | New Iberia | 1868 | from parts of St. Martin Parish and St. Mary Parish. | Named by Spanish settlers in honor of theIberian Peninsula | 67,540 | 1,031 sq mi (2,670 km2) |  |
| Iberville Parish | 047 | Plaquemine | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | ExplorerPierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, the brother ofJean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville | 29,766 | 653 sq mi (1,691 km2) |  |
| Jackson Parish | 049 | Jonesboro | 1845 | from parts of Claiborne Parish, Ouachita Parish and Union Parish | U.S. PresidentAndrew Jackson | 14,797 | 580 sq mi (1,502 km2) |  |
| Jefferson Parish | 051 | Gretna | 1825 | from part of Orleans Parish | Founding FatherThomas Jefferson | 427,253 | 642 sq mi (1,663 km2) |  |
| Jefferson Davis Parish | 053 | Jennings | 1912 | from part of Calcasieu Parish. | Jefferson Davis, president of theConfederate States of America | 31,436 | 659 sq mi (1,707 km2) |  |
| Lafayette Parish | 055 | Lafayette | 1823 | from part of St. Martin Parish. | French-bornAmerican Revolutionary War hero, theMarquis de Lafayette | 254,241 | 270 sq mi (699 km2) |  |
| Lafourche Parish | 057 | Thibodaux | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. Was named Interior Parish until 1812 and Lafourche Interior Parish until 1853. | French phrasela fourche or in English,the fork; Bayou Lafourche, or Fork Bayou, is a fork of theMississippi River | 95,342 | 1,472 sq mi (3,812 km2) |  |
| LaSalle Parish | 059 | Jena | 1910 | from west half of Catahoula Parish. | ExplorerRené-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle | 14,702 | 663 sq mi (1,717 km2) |  |
| Lincoln Parish | 061 | Ruston | 1873 | from parts of Bienville Parish, Claiborne Parish, Jackson Parish and Union Parish. | U.S. PresidentAbraham Lincoln | 48,243 | 472 sq mi (1,222 km2) |  |
| Livingston Parish | 063 | Livingston | 1832 | from part of St. Helena Parish. | U.S. Secretary of StateEdward Livingston, brother ofRobert R. Livingston who negotiated theLouisiana Purchase | 152,886 | 703 sq mi (1,821 km2) |  |
| Madison Parish | 065 | Tallulah | 1838 | from Concordia Parish. | U.S. PresidentJames Madison | 9,093 | 651 sq mi (1,686 km2) |  |
| Morehouse Parish | 067 | Bastrop | 1844 | from parts of Carroll Parish and Ouachita Parish. | Abraham Morehouse, who led the first settlers into the region | 23,787 | 805 sq mi (2,085 km2) |  |
| Natchitoches Parish | 069 | Natchitoches | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | TheNatchitochesNative American people | 35,982 | 1,299 sq mi (3,364 km2) |  |
| Orleans Parish | 071 | New Orleans | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. Today coterminous with the City of New Orleans. | Named afterPhilippe,Duke of Orléans, theregent of France | 362,701 | 350 sq mi (906 km2) |  |
| Ouachita Parish | 073 | Monroe | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | TheOuachitaNative American people | 157,874 | 633 sq mi (1,639 km2) |  |
| Plaquemines Parish | 075 | Pointe à la Hache | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | A word meaningpersimmons created from theLouisiana Creole and theAtakapa language | 22,289 | 2,429 sq mi (6,291 km2) |  |
| Pointe Coupee Parish | 077 | New Roads | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | French phrasela pointe coupée or in English,the cut-off point, which refers to a bend in theMississippi River | 19,845 | 591 sq mi (1,531 km2) |  |
| Rapides Parish | 079 | Alexandria | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | Named for local river rapids (French: rapides) | 125,899 | 1,362 sq mi (3,528 km2) |  |
| Red River Parish | 081 | Coushatta | 1871 | from parts of Bienville Parish, Bossier Parish, Caddo Parish and Natchitoches Parish. | Named for theRed River, which is part of theMississippi Riverwatershed | 7,238 | 402 sq mi (1,041 km2) |  |
| Richland Parish | 083 | Rayville | 1868 | from parts of Carroll Parish, Franklin Parish, Morehouse Parish and Ouachita Parish. | Named for itsrich land | 19,643 | 564 sq mi (1,461 km2) |  |
| Sabine Parish | 085 | Many | 1843 | from parts of Caddo Parish and Natchitoches Parish. | Named for theSabine River and the so-calledSabine Free State | 21,746 | 1,012 sq mi (2,621 km2) |  |
| St. Bernard Parish | 087 | Chalmette | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | Saint Bernard,patron saint ofBernardo de Gálvez, the Spanish governor who granted land to theCanary Islanders settling the area in 1778 | 44,783 | 1,794 sq mi (4,646 km2) |  |
| St. Charles Parish | 089 | Hahnville | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | Saint Charles | 50,400 | 410 sq mi (1,062 km2) |  |
| St. Helena Parish | 091 | Greensburg | 1810 | from West Florida territory. | SaintHelena | 10,857 | 409 sq mi (1,059 km2) |  |
| St. James Parish | 093 | Convent | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | SaintJames the Great | 19,110 | 258 sq mi (668 km2) |  |
| St. John the Baptist Parish | 095 | Edgard | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | SaintJohn the Baptist | 39,694 | 348 sq mi (901 km2) |  |
| St. Landry Parish | 097 | Opelousas | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | SaintLandry of Paris | 80,869 | 939 sq mi (2,432 km2) |  |
| St. Martin Parish | 099 | St. Martinville | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. | SaintMartin of Tours | 51,218 | 817 sq mi (2,116 km2) |  |
| St. Mary Parish | 101 | Franklin | 1811 | from part of St. Martin Parish. | SaintMary | 46,799 | 612 sq mi (1,585 km2) |  |
| St. Tammany Parish | 103 | Covington | 1810 | from West Florida territory. | Legendary Indian ChiefTamanend. | 277,615 | 1,124 sq mi (2,911 km2) |  |
| Tangipahoa Parish | 105 | Amite City | 1869 | from parts of Livingston Parish, St. Helena Parish, St. Tammany Parish and Washington Parish. | Comes from anAcolapissa word meaningear of corn orthose who gather corn | 139,823 | 823 sq mi (2,132 km2) |  |
| Tensas Parish | 107 | St. Joseph | 1843 | from part of Concordia Parish. | TheTaensaNative American people. | 3,844 | 641 sq mi (1,660 km2) |  |
| Terrebonne Parish | 109 | Houma | 1822 | from part of Lafourche Interior Parish. | French phraseterre bonne or in English, "good earth" | 103,864 | 2,080 sq mi (5,387 km2) |  |
| Union Parish | 111 | Farmerville | 1839 | from part of Ouachita Parish. | Named for the union of states which make up the U.S. | 20,617 | 905 sq mi (2,344 km2) |  |
| Vermilion Parish | 113 | Abbeville | 1844 | from part of Lafayette Parish. | Both theVermilion River andVermilion Bay | 57,641 | 1,538 sq mi (3,983 km2) |  |
| Vernon Parish | 115 | Leesville | 1871 | from parts of Natchitoches Parish, Rapides Parish and Sabine Parish. | Mount Vernon, the home ofGeorge Washington, the first U.S. President | 45,819 | 1,341 sq mi (3,473 km2) |  |
| Washington Parish | 117 | Franklinton | 1819 | from part of St. Tammany Parish. | U.S. PresidentGeorge Washington | 45,090 | 676 sq mi (1,751 km2) |  |
| Webster Parish | 119 | Minden | 1871 | from parts of Bienville Parish, Bossier Parish and Claiborne Parish. | U.S. Secretary of StateDaniel Webster | 35,184 | 615 sq mi (1,593 km2) |  |
| West Baton Rouge Parish | 121 | Port Allen | 1807 | One of the original 19 parishes. Was named Baton Rouge Parish until 1812. | French phrasebâton rouge meaningred stick. A red stick was used by localNative Americans to mark the boundaries between tribal territories | 28,425 | 203 sq mi (526 km2) |  |
| West Carroll Parish | 123 | Oak Grove | 1877 | when Carroll Parish was divided. | Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of theU.S. Declaration of Independence | 9,254 | 360 sq mi (932 km2) |  |
| West Feliciana Parish | 125 | St. Francisville | 1824 | when Feliciana Parish was divided. | Felicite de Gálvez, the wife ofBernardo de Gálvez, a Spanish governor ofLouisiana (New Spain) | 15,155 | 426 sq mi (1,103 km2) |  |
| Winn Parish | 127 | Winnfield | 1852 | from parts of Catahoula Parish, Natchitoches Parish and Rapides Parish. | Louisiana state legislator Walter Winn | 13,405 | 957 sq mi (2,479 km2) |  |
On April 10, 1805, theTerritorial Council enacted a map dividing the territory into 12 counties based upon ecclesiastical districts established underSpanish rule. In 1807, the Territorial Council revised the 12-county system to create 19 civil parishes.[2]
The original twelve counties defined by the Territorial Legislative Council in 1805 were:[2]
On December 7, 1810,William C. C. Claiborne, governor of the Orleans Territory, annexed the short-livedRepublic of West Florida to the United States and Louisiana as Feliciana County. On December 22, 1810, the county west of thePearl River was organized in four civil parishes:East Baton Rouge,Feliciana,St. Helena, andSt. Tammany. Later, in 1824, Feliciana Parish was divided intoEast Feliciana andWest Feliciana parishes.[2]
Baton Rouge (capital) | |
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