The constitutional amendment to create the county was proposed August 14, 1920, and ratified November 2, 1920.

The county is named after Crawford Long (1815–1878), an American surgeon and pharmacist who was the first to use diethyl ether as an anaesthetic.

[4] The majority of Long County, roughly centered on Ludowici, is located in the Altamaha River sub-basin of the basin by the same name.

[5] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 16,168 people, 5,695 households, and 4,146 families residing in the county.

Fort Stewart has the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) as its local school district,[17] for the elementary level.