How Many Counties In England End With Shire ((new)) May 2026

Let’s settle it:

Actually, Yorkshire is one ceremonial county (split into North, East, South, West for administrative purposes, but as a ceremonial county it’s still “Yorkshire” for lieutenancy — no, that’s wrong: since 1974, Yorkshire is divided into East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire. Only “North Yorkshire” ends in -shire. East Riding does not. South and West Yorkshire do not.) how many counties in england end with shire

But some lists exclude Yorkshire because it’s not “-shire” as a suffix? Actually, “Yorkshire” does end with “shire.” So it counts. Let’s settle it: Actually, Yorkshire is one ceremonial

But many sources say — that’s because they count Yorkshire as one , and exclude Huntingdonshire? No, Huntingdonshire is historic. South and West Yorkshire do not

The most common answer given in quizzes and general knowledge is , referring to the historic counties. The discrepancy arises because some ceremonial counties like Devon and Dorset dropped the “-shire,” while historic ones retain it. Why “-shire”? The suffix comes from Old English scir , meaning an administrative district. Shires were originally governed by a sheriff ( shire reeve ). Most shires were named after their county town (e.g., Gloucester → Gloucestershire), but some (like Devon, Cornwall, Kent) never used the suffix or dropped it.

So let’s list carefully: