The suffix is used sparingly.
Across the United Kingdom, there are that officially end in "-shire," though the usage varies by region and administrative status. In contrast, no modern US counties use the suffix, as it was replaced by "County" shortly after colonial settlement. Breakdown by Region (UK Historic Counties)
In the UK, the suffix "-shire" is historically the most common ending for administrative divisions, derived from the Old English word scir , meaning a division or a share of a responsibility.
In the United Kingdom, there are that end in "-shire," with 25 located in England , 23 in Scotland , and 10 in Wales . While common in the UK, the suffix is extremely rare for administrative counties in the United States, where only New Hampshire uses it as a state name and no US counties currently use it as an official suffix. Counties Ending in "-shire" by Region
The distribution of "-shire" counties varies significantly across the UK's constituent nations: Notable Examples Yorkshire , Lancashire , Oxfordshire , Gloucestershire Scotland Aberdeenshire , Ayrshire , Inverness-shire , Lanarkshire Wales Pembrokeshire , Flintshire , Denbighshire , Carmarthenshire Northern Ireland None of the 6 counties use the suffix The List of English "Shire" Counties
Here’s a deep guide to answering — including what counts as a county, regional differences, and the exact tally.
Count = ~27 or 28 (some borderline). But these are , not modern local government areas in Scotland (now council areas, which rarely end in “shire” except e.g., Aberdeenshire, Perth & Kinross? — but “Perth & Kinross” no “shire”).
If someone asks “How many counties end in ‘shire’?” with no qualifiers, the expected answer in common British usage is (English ceremonial counties).
The term "shire" comes from the Old English scir , meaning an administrative area governed by a "shire reeve" (the origin of the word ). England (23 counties): These include well-known areas like , Lancashire , and Oxfordshire . Some others, like , , and
As of current ceremonial divisions, the following 25 English counties retain the suffix:
Here is useful text related to how many counties end in "shire," broken down by location and etymology.