Since it was a safe place, the leader of the group, Antônio Nunes, built a corral with cedar wood abundant in the region (the tree that gave the municipality its name in Portuguese).

By Provincial Law of March 5, 1835, the owner of the farm, Antônio Nunes, created a school, which was later closed, and which reopened on July 9, 1872, under the direction of Carolina Leopoldina Regina de Sá.

The construction of the chapel of São João Batista, the current main church, made the village independent from the Propriá parish of Santo Antônio.

1,015 of October 4, 1928, sanctioned by Sergipe Governor Manuel Correia Dantas, elevated Cedro to the category of municipality, separating it from Propriá, with the law coming into effect on January 1, 1929.

Currently, the villages of Bananeiras, Lagoa Nova, Poço dos Bois and São Sebastião (Carvãozinho) are part of the municipality.