Amador County
Amador (literally “lover”), but in this case a surname. Amador is the long, narrow county lying between Calaveras and El Dorado, and was probably named in honor of the Amador family, either Don Pedro Amador, or his son, José María. Pedro Amador is said to have been a “soldier of fortune” in the Spanish army, who came to California in 1771. His son, José María, was also a soldier and a renowned Indian fighter, and was known to be living as late as 1883.