[2] The county was named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who rendered assistance to the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War.

As of the 2000 census,[10] there were 16,137 people, 6,211 households, and 4,378 families residing in the county.

33.8% were of German, 17.5% Norwegian, 13.6% Irish, 11.9% English, 6.8% Swiss and 6.0% American ancestry.

25.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Starting in 1992 however, it voted for the Democratic presidential nominees six elections in a row before shifting back to the GOP in 2016.