[2] Formerly part of the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory, this county was reorganized and redefined in 1907, at the time of Oklahoma statehood.

According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, the name is derived from Chahta, the mythical founder of the Choctaw people.

The Choctaw Nation moved into the area now occupied by Choctaw County in 1831–1832, as a result of their forcible removal from their homeland in the Southeastern United States, under the Indian Removal Act.

The U.S. Army had already established Fort Towson in the western area in 1824, and took on the mission of protecting the newcomers from other tribes.

Both the town of Fort Towson and Doaksville served as the capital of the Choctaw Nation.

[3] In October 2011 the U.S. Navy announced plans to honor Choctaw County with the naming of a ship.

"I grew up in Choctaw County, Miss., where people work hard to raise their families and provide for their children," Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said in announcing the plan.

"I chose to name JHSV after Choctaw County to honor those men and women who represent rural America."

High rates of smoking and obesity for both sexes and a low level of physical activity for males appear to be contributing factors to the relatively short life expectancy.

[17] In 2020, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranked Choctaw country as last of 77 counties in Oklahoma in "health outcomes," as measured by length and quality of life.

[18] Home to a significant Native American population, the county has voted heavily Republican in every presidential election since 2004.

The GOP has won well over 70% of the vote in the county in every election since 2012, and topped out at 80.6% for Donald Trump in 2020.

By 1930, the local agriculture industry had diversified to include corn, oats, prairie hay, and peanuts.