 The name is of Hungarian origin and is probably derived from the word "kürtös" (a bugler) or motivated by the ethnonym "Kürt" (one of Magyar tribes).The town was first mentioned in the second half of the 13th century, although the name Krtíš first appeared in 1245 under name "Curtus" (Latin).Until 1919 it was the part of the Hungarian Kingdom, later Austria-Hungary, part of the Nograd - Novohrad region.