[2] The county was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on May 15, 1821, and named for Colonel John Dooly,[3] a Georgia American Revolutionary War fighter.

It was one of the original landlot counties created from land ceded from the Creek Nation.

[4] The county is located in the upper Atlantic coastal plain region of the state.

[5] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 11,208 people, 5,020 households, and 3,350 families residing in the county.

The Big Pig Jig, Georgia's official State Barbecue Cooking Championship, is held annually in Fall in Dooly County and attracts a national audience.