How Many Counties In England End With Shire |best| May 2026

if we exclude Rutland (doesn’t end in shire) and Middlesex (ends in “sex,” not shire). But my list above gave 25. The error: Devonshire and Dorsetshire are still historic, but sometimes counted as Devon and Dorset. So to avoid double-counting, the accepted number among historians is 24 historic shire counties . Final Clear Answer | Type of county | Number ending in “-shire” | |----------------|---------------------------| | Ceremonial (modern) | 22 | | Historic (traditional) | 24 |

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. how many counties in england end with shire

But many sources say — that’s because they count Yorkshire as one , and exclude Huntingdonshire? No, Huntingdonshire is historic. if we exclude Rutland (doesn’t end in shire)

Let’s settle it:

So let’s list carefully:

But some lists exclude Yorkshire because it’s not “-shire” as a suffix? Actually, “Yorkshire” does end with “shire.” So it counts. So to avoid double-counting, the accepted number among

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.)