[2] The county is named for Colonel James Lauderdale, who was killed at the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812.

The largest city in the county is Meridian, which was an important railway intersection during the early 20th century.

One of the largest waterfalls in Mississippi, Dunns Falls, is located in the county and a water driven mill still exists on the site.

Lauderdale county is also home to the headquarters of Peavey Electronics which has manufactured audio and music equipment for half a century.

Like much of the post-Reconstruction South the county has a checkered racial history with 16 documented lynchings in the period from 1877 to 1950; most occurred around the turn of the 20th century.

Intended to provide intensive treatment for up to 1500 state prisoners who are mentally ill, it has been operated since 2012 by Management and Training Corporation under contract to the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

In 2013 the ACLU and Southern Poverty Law Center filed a class-action suit against the state and MTC for poor conditions at the facility.

[18] Lauderdale County is within the service area of the East Mississippi Community College system.