List of parishes in Louisiana

The U.S. state of Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes in the same way that 48 of the other states of the United States are divided into counties (Alaska is divided into boroughs and census areas).

Thirty-eight parishes are governed by a council called the Police Jury. The other twenty-six have various other forms of government, including: president-council, council-manager, parish commission, and consolidated parish/city.

Listing

Parish	FIPS code	Parish seat	Established	Origin	Meaning of name	Population (2020)	Area	Map
Acadia Parish	001	Crowley	1886	from part of St. Landry Parish.	From Acadian French. Named for the Acadians who settled the area.	57,576	658 sq mi (1,704 km2)
Allen Parish	003	Oberlin	1912	from part of Calcasieu Parish.	Henry Watkins Allen, the Confederate governor of Louisiana	22,750	766 sq mi (1,984 km2)
Ascension Parish	005	Donaldsonville	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Named for the Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, which was named after the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven	126,500	303 sq mi (785 km2)
Assumption Parish	007	Napoleonville	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Named for the Assumption Roman Catholic Church, the oldest in the state, which was named after the Assumption of the Virgin Mary	21,039	364 sq mi (943 km2)
Avoyelles Parish	009	Marksville	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	The Avoyel Native American people	39,693	866 sq mi (2,243 km2)
Beauregard Parish	011	DeRidder	1912	from part of Calcasieu Parish.	Confederate general P. G. T. Beauregard	36,549	1,166 sq mi (3,020 km2)
Bienville Parish	013	Arcadia	1848	from part of Claiborne Parish.	Named after the founder of the city of New Orleans, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville	12,981	822 sq mi (2,129 km2)
Bossier Parish	015	Benton	1843	from part of Claiborne Parish.	U.S. Representative Pierre Bossier	128,746	867 sq mi (2,246 km2)
Caddo Parish	017	Shreveport	1838	from part of Natchitoches Parish.	From Caddo. Named for the Caddo Native American people	237,848	937 sq mi (2,427 km2)
Calcasieu Parish	019	Lake Charles	1840	from part of St. Landry Parish.	From Atakapa Calcasieu, meaning crying eagle, is said to be the name of an Atakapa Native American leader	216,785	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.	9,645	541 sq mi (1,401 km2)
Cameron Parish	023	Cameron	1870	from parts of Calcasieu Parish and Vermilion Parish.	U.S. Secretary of War Simon Cameron	5,617	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 a Taensa/Natchez word meaning big, clear lake	8,906	739 sq mi (1,914 km2)
Claiborne Parish	027	Homer	1828	from part of Natchitoches Parish.	Governor of Louisiana William C. C. Claiborne	14,170	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 called New 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 Governor Manuel Gayoso de Lemos and located in Natchez, Mississippi	18,687	749 sq mi (1,940 km2)
DeSoto Parish	031	Mansfield	1843	from parts of Caddo Parish and Natchitoches Parish.	Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto	26,812	895 sq mi (2,318 km2)
East Baton Rouge Parish	033	Baton Rouge	1810	from West Florida territory.	French phrase bâton rouge meaning red stick. A red stick was used by local Native Americans to mark the boundaries between tribal territories	456,781	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 the U.S. Declaration of Independence	7,459	442 sq mi (1,145 km2)
East Feliciana Parish	037	Clinton	1824	when Feliciana Parish was divided.	Felicite de Gálvez, the wife of Bernardo de Gálvez, a Spanish governor of Louisiana (New Spain)	19,539	456 sq mi (1,181 km2)
Evangeline Parish	039	Ville Platte	1910	from part of St. Landry Parish.	Acadian heroine of the poem "Evangeline" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow	32,350	680 sq mi (1,761 km2)
Franklin Parish	041	Winnsboro	1843	from parts of Carroll Parish, Catahoula Parish, Madison Parish and Ouachita Parish	Founding Father Benjamin Franklin	19,774	636 sq mi (1,647 km2)
Grant Parish	043	Colfax	1869	from parts of Rapides Parish and Winn Parish.	U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant	22,169	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 the Iberian Peninsula	69,929	1,031 sq mi (2,670 km2)
Iberville Parish	047	Plaquemine	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, the brother of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville	30,241	653 sq mi (1,691 km2)
Jackson Parish	049	Jonesboro	1845	from parts of Claiborne Parish, Ouachita Parish and Union Parish	U.S. President Andrew Jackson	15,031	580 sq mi (1,502 km2)
Jefferson Parish	051	Gretna	1825	from part of Orleans Parish	Founding Father Thomas Jefferson	440,781	642 sq mi (1,663 km2)
Jefferson Davis Parish	053	Jennings	1912	from part of Calcasieu Parish.	Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America	32,250	659 sq mi (1,707 km2)
Lafayette Parish	055	Lafayette	1823	from part of St. Martin Parish.	French-born American Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de Lafayette	241,753	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 phrase la fourche or in English, the fork; Bayou Lafourche, or Fork Bayou, is a fork of the Mississippi River	97,557	1,472 sq mi (3,812 km2)
LaSalle Parish	059	Jena	1910	from west half of Catahoula Parish.	Explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle	14,791	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. President Abraham Lincoln	48,396	472 sq mi (1,222 km2)
Livingston Parish	063	Livingston	1832	from part of St. Helena Parish.	U.S. Secretary of State Edward Livingston, brother of Robert R. Livingston who negotiated the Louisiana Purchase	142,282	703 sq mi (1,821 km2)
Madison Parish	065	Tallulah	1838	from Concordia Parish.	U.S. President James Madison	10,017	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	25,629	805 sq mi (2,085 km2)
Natchitoches Parish	069	Natchitoches	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	The Natchitoches Native American people	37,515	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 after Philippe, Duke of Orléans, the regent of France	383,997	350 sq mi (906 km2)
Ouachita Parish	073	Monroe	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	The Ouachita Native American people	160,368	633 sq mi (1,639 km2)
Plaquemines Parish	075	Pointe à la Hache	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	A word meaning persimmons created from the Louisiana Creole and the Atakapa language	23,515	2,429 sq mi (6,291 km2)
Pointe Coupee Parish	077	New Roads	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	French phrase la pointe coupée or in English, the cut-off point, which refers to a bend in the Mississippi River	20,758	591 sq mi (1,531 km2)
Rapides Parish	079	Alexandria	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Named for local river rapids (French: rapides)	130,023	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 the Red River, which is part of the Mississippi River watershed	7,620	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 its rich land	20,043	564 sq mi (1,461 km2)
Sabine Parish	085	Many	1843	from parts of Caddo Parish and Natchitoches Parish.	Named for the Sabine River and the so-called Sabine Free State	22,155	1,012 sq mi (2,621 km2)
St. Bernard Parish	087	Chalmette	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Saint Bernard, patron saint of Bernardo de Gálvez, the Spanish governor who granted land to the Canary Islanders settling the area in 1778	43,764	1,794 sq mi (4,646 km2)
St. Charles Parish	089	Hahnville	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Saint Charles	52,549	410 sq mi (1,062 km2)
St. Helena Parish	091	Greensburg	1810	from West Florida territory.	Saint Helena	10,920	409 sq mi (1,059 km2)
St. James Parish	093	Convent	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Saint James the Great	20,192	258 sq mi (668 km2)
St. John the Baptist Parish	095	Edgard	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Saint John the Baptist	42,477	348 sq mi (901 km2)
St. Landry Parish	097	Opelousas	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Saint Landry of Paris	82,540	939 sq mi (2,432 km2)
St. Martin Parish	099	St. Martinville	1807	One of the original 19 parishes.	Saint Martin of Tours	51,767	817 sq mi (2,116 km2)
St. Mary Parish	101	Franklin	1811	from part of St. Martin Parish.	Saint Mary	49,406	612 sq mi (1,585 km2)
St. Tammany Parish	103	Covington	1810	from West Florida territory.	Legendary Indian Chief Tamanend.	264,570	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 an Acolapissa word meaning ear of corn or those who gather corn	133,157	823 sq mi (2,132 km2)
Tensas Parish	107	St. Joseph	1843	from part of Concordia Parish.	The Taensa Native American people.	4,147	641 sq mi (1,660 km2)
Terrebonne Parish	109	Houma	1822	from part of Lafourche Interior Parish.	French phrase terre bonne or in English, good earth	109,580	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.	21,107	905 sq mi (2,344 km2)
Vermilion Parish	113	Abbeville	1844	from part of Lafayette Parish.	Both the Vermilion River and Vermilion Bay	57,359	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 of George Washington, the first U.S. President	48,750	1,341 sq mi (3,473 km2)
Washington Parish	117	Franklinton	1819	from part of St. Tammany Parish.	U.S. President George Washington	45,463	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 State Daniel Webster	36,967	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 phrase bâton rouge meaning red stick. A red stick was used by local Native Americans to mark the boundaries between tribal territories	27,199	203 sq mi (526 km2)
West Carroll Parish	123	Oak Grove, West Carroll Parish	1877	when Carroll Parish was divided.	Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence	9,751	360 sq mi (932 km2)
West Feliciana Parish	125	St. Francisville	1824	when Feliciana Parish was divided.	Felicite de Gálvez, the wife of Bernardo de Gálvez, a Spanish governor of Louisiana (New Spain)	15,310	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	13,755	957 sq mi (2,479 km2)

Former Parishes

• Biloxi Parish formed in 1811 from West Florida territory. It was eliminated in 1812 when part of the former West Florida area was transferred to Mississippi Territory.
• Carroll Parish formed in 1838 from part of Ouachita Parish. In 1877, it was divided into East Carroll Parish and West Carroll Parish.
• Feliciana Parish formed in 1810 from West Florida territory. In 1824, it was divided into East Feliciana Parish and West Feliciana Parish.
• Pascagoula Parish formed in 1811 from West Florida territory. It was eliminated in 1812 when part of the former West Florida area was transferred to Mississippi Territory.
• Warren Parish formed in 1811 from part of Concordia Parish, and merged into Concordia Parish and Ouachita Parish in 1814.

References

• "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2007-03-13. - Counties, parish seats, areas, names and date of formation of current parishes
• "Louisiana County Formation Maps". Archived from the original on 2011-05-30. Retrieved 2007-03-13. - Formation dates and origin of parishes