[4][5] Chowan was formed in 1670 as a precinct, originally called Shaftesbury, in Albemarle County.

By 1685 it had been renamed for the Chowan Indian tribe, which lived in the northeastern part of the Carolina Colony.

[6] During the American Civil War, the Albemarle Artillery was recruited in 1862 from Chowan and Tyrrell men at Edenton by local attorney William Badham, Jr. After cannons were recast from bronze donated as bells from local courthouses and churches to arm the battery, the unit was renamed the Edenton Bell Battery.

Two of the guns, long thought lost, have been returned to Edenton in recent years.

[7] The county was named after the historical Chowanoc American Indian tribe, also called Chowan.

Chowan County is a member of the Albemarle Commission regional council of governments.

Chowan County is represented by Bobby Hanig in the 1st district of the North Carolina Senate.