Ethnic composition (2021):[13] In the 17th century, shortly after the establishment of Yakutsk, the exploration of what is now Ayano-Maysky District pursued two goals.

Yakutsk officials through eastward expansion sought to come up with new sources of tribute for the Tsar's treasury while at the same time trying to find a shorter, more convenient passage to the Sea of Okhotsk, in order to continue to care for the needs of rich Russian colonies in the Far East and North America.

In 1639, a group of Russian explorers under the leadership of Ivan Moskvitin reached the Sea of Okhotsk for the first time through the territory of modern Ayano-Maysky District.

By decree of the Soviet government, Ayano-Maysky District was officially formed on December 10, 1930 by combining the areas of Ayan and Nelkan.

In the 1930s, the Soviet government began forming state and collective farms, opened local schools and hospitals, amateur musical clubs, and otherwise encouraged the Evenks to switch from their nomadic lifestyle to a settled way of life.

People who made the decision to make this region their temporary home received added governmental bonuses to their pay and an earlier retirement age: for men when they reached 55 and women at 50.

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, however, some state farms and enterprises were disbanded and government subsidies discontinued, forcing many residents to move out of the settlements to bigger cities or other regions of Russia.