Mokronog was first attested in written sources in 1137 under the German name
Nazuŏz (and as
Nazzenfuz in 1143 and
Nazzenvozzen in 1158). The Slovene name
Mokronag was not attested until 1689. The name was originally a genitive plural (nominative
*Mokronozi, accusative
*Mokronoge; cf. the related place names
Mokronoge and
Mokronoge, both in
Bosnia-Herzegovina) that was reinterpreted as a singular. It is believed to be a compound of the adjective
moker 'wet' + the noun
noga 'foot of a hill/mountain', thus originally meaning 'wet area at the foot of a mountain'. The hypothesis that the name means 'wet foot' as a humorous reference to people living in a wet place is less likely. Also less likely is the hypothesis that it is derived from
*Makromьnovo (<
*ma- 'somehow' +
*kromьnъ 'hidden'). In the past the German name was
Nassenfuß. ==Churches==