- Cheat River - named after the Cheat people, an Iroquoian tribe that once inhabited the region
- Elk River - named for the elk that once roamed the area
- Gauley River - named for the Gauley people, a branch of the Shawnee tribe that lived along the river
- Greenbrier River - named for the brier bushes that grow along the river
- Kanawha River - named for the Kanawha people, an Iroquoian tribe that lived in the region
- Monongahela River - named for the Monongahela people, an Iroquoian tribe that lived in the region
- New River - named for the fact that it was the first river discovered by European settlers in the region
- Ohio River - named for the Ohio people, an Iroquoian tribe that lived in the region
- Potomac River - named for the Potomac people, an Algonquian tribe that lived in the region
- Tug Fork - named for the tugboat that was once used to transport coal on the river