It is named for the town of Lourdes, in the Hautes-Pyrénées département of the region of Occitanie, and originated in the surrounding country, particularly in the cantons of Argelès, Bagnères-de-Bigorre and Ossun.

The Lourdaise originated in the rural areas surrounding Lourdes, now in the Hautes-Pyrénées département of Occitanie.

[5] Breed numbers fell drastically in the years following the Second World War, for three reasons: the mechanisation of agriculture meant that there was decreased demand for draught cattle; specialised single-purpose breeds, such as the Braunvieh and Friesian for milk and the Charolaise and Limousine for beef, were introduced to the area; and in 1960, Edmond Quittet, the Inspecteur général de l'agriculture [fr], established a policy of reduction of the number of French minority breeds.

[5] Conservation efforts were begun, with contributions from the Parc National des Pyrénées, the French Ministry of Agriculture, and the regional administration of Haute-Pyrénées.

Milk production is estimated at 3000 litres in a lactation of 305 days; fat content is about 3.8% and protein about 3.3%.