Grgar was mentioned in written sources c. 1370 as Gaergaer and in 1389 as Grêgôr. For phonological and morphological reasons, the latter transcription appears to be a hypercorrection and not connected with Saint Gregory or the name Gregor 'Gregory'. Instead, the name may be derived from another Romance base, perhaps *gregārius 'shepherd'.[3]
Mass graves
Grgar is the site of two known mass graves associated with the Second World War. The Podgomila Shaft Mass Grave (Slovene: Grobišče Brezno Podgomila), also known as the Miljavec Shaft Mass Grave (Grobišče Miljavčev brezen), is located on the left side of the road to Grgarske Ravne, about 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) north of Grgar. It contains the remains of Home Guard and Italian prisoners of war, and Slovene and Italian civilians murdered in May 1945.[4] The Jošč Shaft Mass Grave (Grobišče Joščevo brezno) is located on the left side of the road to Grgarske Ravne, about 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) north of Grgar. It contains the remains of unknown victims.[5][6]
^Snoj, Marko (2009). Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen. Ljubljana: Modrijan. p. 153.
^Ferenc, Mitja (December 2009). "Grobišče Brezno Podgomila". Geopedia (in Slovenian). Ljubljana: Služba za vojna grobišča, Ministrstvo za delo, družino in socialne zadeve. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
^Ferenc, Mitja (December 2009). "Grobišče Joščevo brezno". Geopedia (in Slovenian). Ljubljana: Služba za vojna grobišča, Ministrstvo za delo, družino in socialne zadeve. Retrieved November 7, 2023.