Established August 17, 1759, by Order in Council, Annapolis County took its name from the town of Annapolis Royal which had been named in honour of Anne, Queen of Great Britain.

The Acadians had been forcibly removed by British government officials in the 1755 Grand Dérangement.

At that time, the county was divided into six townships: Annapolis, Granville, Wilmot, Clements, Digby and Clare.

Two petitions were presented to the House of Assembly in that year requesting that the county be divided.

[5] Forming the majority of the Annapolis County census division, the Municipality of the County of Annapolis, including its Subdivisions A, B, C, and D, had a population of 18,834 living in 8,608 of its 10,268 total private dwellings, a change of 3.2% from its 2016 population of 18,252.