The town was named after French martyr Adam Dollard des Ormeaux.
Along with the other municipalities on the island, it became merged with the city of Montreal on January 1, 2002 as part of the Dollard-Des Ormeaux–Roxboro borough. Referendums were held on June 20, 2004 in several former municipalities within Montreal on whether to reinstate them as their own separate entities. Dollard-des-Ormeaux was re-instated as a city on January 1, 2006.

During Canada's centennial anniversary in 1967, the town decided to create a "Centennial Park", featuring a man-made lake and hills. However the project ran into problems and became a local scandal and a major drain on resources. It was finally completed in the 1970s, overdue and over-budget.
Prior to the 1980 Quebec referendum on sovereignty, Dollard-des-Ormeaux became the only municipality in the province to pass a motion declaring that it would join the province of Ontario in the event of a "yes" vote.
Dollard-des-Ormeaux is home to many family oriented facilities such as sports complexes, recreational parks and the Dollard Civic Centre, where people gather for sporting events, social events, etc.
The main goal of the service is quality of life for the residents by active partnerships with the police and other municipal services. The service has always looked for innovative means to perform its duties effectively, such as recently deploying the first fully-functional hybrid patrol vehicle in Montreal.
| Mother Tongue | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| English | 21,805 | 44.78% |
| French | 8,100 | 16.64% |
| Arabic | 2,320 | 4.76% |
| Italian | 1,695 | 3.48% |
| Greek | 1,255 | 2.58% |
| Punjabi | 1,200 | 2.46% |
| Chinese | 1,055 | 2.17% |
| Spanish | 880 | 1.81% |
| Polish | 745 | 1.53% |
| Tagalog | 685 | 1.41% |
| Romanian | 630 | 1.29% |
| Armenian | 570 | 1.17% |
| Tamil | 570 | 1.17% |
| Gujarati | 565 | 1.16% |
| Urdu | 475 | 0.98% |
| Creole | 440 | 0.90% |