The town was known for its pottery factory (closed in 1979) and it is among Norway's biggest fishing ports.

On 12 December 1868, a small area of Eigersund municipality (population: 41) was transferred to neighboring Sokndal.

In 1947, an area of Eigersund immediately surrounding the town of Egersund (population: 515) was transferred to the town of Egersund and another area in Sokndal (population: 7) was transferred to Eigersund.

[6] The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Eigersundet strait (Old Norse: Eikundarsund).

On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Eigersund.

The official blazon is "Vert, an oak leaf Or" (Norwegian: På grønn bunn et opprett gull eikeblad).

This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is an oak leaf.

The oak leaf has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Eigersund is made up of 31 representatives that are elected to four year terms.

The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

The landscape includes many rivers and lakes, as well as woods and several barren rocky and heather-clad moors.