The district was created in 1834 when Prussia bought the Lichtenfeld area from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. After World War I the Saar area came under special rulership of the League of Nations, and the Sankt Wendel district was split into two parts. The northern part, the "Restkreis Sankt Wendel", was merged into the district Birkenfeld, the southern part stayed in the Saarland in its smaller size.