The first historical accounts of the Stârciu village was in 1341. Until 1919, the commune was part of the
Kingdom of Hungary's
Szilágy County. After the collapse of
Austria-Hungary at the end of
World War I and the declaration of the
Union of Transylvania with Romania, the
Romanian Army took control of the locality in April 1919, during the
Hungarian–Romanian War. The town officially became part of the territory ceded to the
Kingdom of Romania in June 1920 under the terms of the
Treaty of Trianon. During the
interwar period, it became part of
plasa Crasna, in
Sălaj County. In August 1940, under the auspices of
Nazi Germany, which imposed the
Second Vienna Award,
Hungary retook the territory of
Northern Transylvania (which included Horoatu Crasnei) from Romania. Towards the end of
World War II, however, the commune was taken back from Hungarian and
German troops by Romanian and
Soviet forces in October 1944. In 1950, it fell within the
Cluj Region; in 1968, a new administrative law was adopted, and Horoatu Crasnei became once again part of Zalău County. ==Demographics==