The arrondissement of Mayenne was created in 1800.[4] At the March 2016 reorganisation of the arrondissements of Mayenne, it gained 38 communes from the arrondissement of Laval.[5]
As a result of the reorganisation of the cantons of France which came into effect in 2015, the borders of the cantons are no longer related to the borders of the arrondissements. The cantons of the arrondissement of Mayenne were, as of January 2015:[6]