The county's name honors Wisconsin lawyer and politician Henry D. Barron, who served as circuit judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit.

[3] In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a community of Russian immigrants moved to Barron County.

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 44,963 people, 17,851 households, and 12,352 families residing in the county.

The racial makeup of the county was 97.69% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.81% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races.

25.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

[15] Additionally, there were fewer than five reported induced abortions performed on women of Barron County residence in 2017.