[2] The county is named after Samuel Newitt Wood, a renowned Kansas populist.

[4] The region of Woods County, Oklahoma, was home to the Antelope Creek Phase of Southern Plains Villagers, a precontact culture of Native Americans, who are related to the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes.

An early European explorer of the area now contained within Woods County was George C. Sibley, who traveled through in 1811.

The U. S. Government acquired the Cherokee Outlet under Congressional Acts in 1889, 1891 and 1893, and divided the area into counties.

Despite the name being misspelled on the ballot, the election committee "decided to keep the s for euphony sake".

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 8,878 people, 3,533 households, and 2,133 families residing in the county.

A 1911 map of Woods County[14] shows a large number of settlements which either no longer exist or remain only as small populated places, including: There are multiple NRHP sites in the county, mostly in Alva but with some in Waynoka.