The county was named in 1799 for Col. John Floyd, who was born in Amherst County, Va., in 1750, led a party to survey land in what is now Kentucky in 1774, took part with George Rogers Clark’s Indian expeditions, returned to Va. and joined the Colonial navy, was captured and taken to England, escaped, built Floyd’s Station in 1779 or 80 near what is now Louisville, was named Lieut. of Jefferson Co., part of Va., in 1781, and was killed in an Indian ambush in 1783.