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The various administrative subdivisions in the UK, being county council areas, unitary authority areas and London boroughs in England (which are all nearly functionally identical), are legally distinct from counties proper, and are not replacements for them, despite some, such Lancashire County Council and Staffordshire County Council, being similarly-named (but having different boundaries) to counties. "[[Counties for the purposes of lieutenancy]]", which are often mistakenly (notably by Wikipedia) referred to as "ceremonial counties", do not replace the counties proper either. [[Wolverhampton]], for example, is part of [[Staffordshire]] despite it being administratively in City of Wolverhampton and in the "county for the purposes of lieutenancy" of West Midlands. To distinguish from other areas misleadingly referred to as "counties", the counties proper are sometimes referred to as '''historic counties''' (because "they have a lot of history") and '''traditional counties'''.

The various administrative subdivisions in the UK, being county council areas, unitary authority areas and London boroughs in England (which are all nearly functionally identical), are legally distinct from counties proper, and are not replacements for them, despite some, such Lancashire County Council and Staffordshire County Council, being similarly-named (but having different boundaries) to counties. "[[Counties for the purposes of lieutenancy]]", which are often mistakenly (notably by Wikipedia) referred to as "ceremonial counties", do not replace the counties proper either. [[Wolverhampton]], for example, is part of [[Staffordshire]] despite it being administratively in City of Wolverhampton and in the "county for the purposes of lieutenancy" of West Midlands. To distinguish from other areas misleadingly referred to as "counties", the counties proper are sometimes referred to as '''historic counties''' (because "they have a lot of history") and '''traditional counties'''.

In English administrative history, only 2 counties have been abolished; Winchcombshire in the south west was merged into [[Gloucestershire]] in the 11th century, and Hexhamshire in the north east was merged into [[Northumberland]] in the 16th century.

In English administrative history, only 2 counties have been abolished; [[Winchcombshire]] in the south west was merged into [[Gloucestershire]] in the 11th century, and [[Hexhamshire]] in the north east was merged into [[Northumberland]] in the 16th century.

== Naming ==

== Naming ==

Most county names in England date back to the [[Anglo-Saxon]] period. For the most part, they take the form of the county town suffixed with ''-shire''; [[Derbyshire]], therefore, is the County of Derby, for example. In some cases, the county town may have changed after the county was named, with [[Buckinghamshire]] ([[Old English]] ''Buccingahamscir''), for instance, being named after that county's historical county town Buckingham, even if [[Aylesbury]] has served as the county town since the reign of [[Henry VIII]] in the 16th century.  

Most county names in England date back to the [[Anglo-Saxon]] period. For the most part, they take the form of the county town suffixed with ''-shire''; [[Derbyshire]], therefore, is the County of Derby, for example. In some cases, the county town may have changed after the county was named, with [[Buckinghamshire]] ([[Old English]] ''Buccingahamscir''), for instance, being named after that county's historical county town Buckingham, even if [[Aylesbury]] has served as the county town since the reign of [[Henry VIII]] in the 16th century.