Originally a Lebou fishing village called Tenguedj (Wolof: Tëngéej), Rufisque became important in the 16th century as the principal port of the kingdom of Cayor, being frequented by Portuguese (who named it Rio Fresco, meaning "Freshwater River", hence the name of the modern city), Dutch, French and English traders.

[citation needed] By the 1650s, the Dutch West India Company had consolidated control over the coastal trade and built a fortified factory at Rufisque.

The "Escale" commercial and administrative neighborhood along the waterfront was laid out in 1862—the African inhabitants being pushed out in the process.

[3] Early in the 20th century the growth of neighboring Dakar, with its superior port facilities, signaled the decline of Rufisque.

Relatively neglected compared to rest of Senegal's four historic communes, it has no tourism sector and a chronic lack of investment in public infrastructure.