The county was named for General Mark Wilcox, a Georgia state legislator and one of the founders of the Georgia Supreme Court.

[5] The northern and eastern three-quarters of Wilcox County, from State Route 215 southeast to Rochelle, then due south, are located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

The southwestern portion of the county, west of Rochelle, and roughly centered on Pitts, is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin.

[6] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,766 people, 2,575 households, and 1,807 families residing in the county.

The Ocmulgee Wild Hog Festival takes place in Abbeville annually on the Saturday before Mother's Day.