[14] The county is named for Prince William, Duke of Cumberland who is best remembered for his role in putting down the Jacobite Rising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, which made him immensely popular throughout parts of Britain.

The first people to populate Cumberland County were early descendants of the Lenape, also known as the Delaware, who include all Native American people who have lived in New Jersey [15] Water sources such as the Cohansey River and Maurice River made Cumberland County a resourceful environment for early native groups to utilize.

[15] Archaeological materials such as stone tools and pottery have been excavated in sites in Bridgeton and in Fairfield, Greenwich and Stow Creek townships.

[17] The prehistoric period ended when European exploration and settlement arrived in the area bringing with it greater technology which ultimately supplanted much of the Native populations.

[18] Early European settlement began with the Swedish who called what is now New Jersey New Sweden during the first half of the 17th century.

[21] America's early successes in glassmaking began in Southern New Jersey during the 18th century and eventually led to John Landis Mason of Vineland New Jersey to invent the mason jar for storing and preserving food at home during the 1850s.

[23] Cumberland County included several towns settled by Black Americans many of whom escaped slavery.

[24] Parts of the county were used for the Underground Railroad, and housed Harriet Tubman and William Still.

By the late 19th century, ships switched from the sloop model to the schooner to be more useful for oystering.

[28] Whaling was also an industry in Cumberland County until 1775 when settlers turned to livestock, farming, and trapping.

[2] Cumberland is a low-lying, generally featureless coastal county, with many salt marshes near the Delaware Bay.

[37][38] The 2010 United States census counted 156,898 people, 51,931 households, and 36,559 families in the county.

[7] The Bureau of Economic Analysis calculated that the county's gross domestic product was $5.9 billion in 2021, which was ranked 17th in the state and was a 3.8% increase from the prior year.

[41] As of 2025[update], members of the Cumberland County Board of County Commissioners (with party affiliation, residence, and term-end year listed in parentheses) are (with terms for director and deputy director ending every December 31):[40][42][43][44][45][46] Pursuant to Article VII Section II of the New Jersey State Constitution, each county in New Jersey has three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers."

First nominated by Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine in January 2010, Webb-McRae was nominated for a second five-year term by Chris Christie in November 2016 and sworn into office after confirmation in January 2017.

[63] In January 2023, John P. Capizola Jr. was appointed to fill the commissioner seat expiring in December 2023 that had been held by George Castellini until he resigned from office earlier that month.

[65][66] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 2nd congressional district is represented by Jeff Van Drew (R, Dennis Township).

[76] In 2001, the board of directors of what was the Vineland YMCA changed the name to include Atlantic County and Cape May County as the members wanted the Vineland YMCA to reflect a wider group of communities.