Established August 17, 1759 by Order in Council, Annapolis County took its name from the town of Annapolis Royal which had been named in honour of Queen Anne of Great Britain.
By 1833 a number of reasons had been advanced for making two counties out of Annapolis County. Two petitions were presented to the House of Assembly in that year requesting that the county be divided. However, it was not until 1837 that Annapolis County was divided into two distinct and separate counties - Annapolis and Digby.