The name Gornji Lenart literally means 'upper Leonard', a designation that distinguished it from Šentlenart (literally, 'Saint Leonard'), which was annexed by Brežice. Until 1927, the settlement was officially called Zverinjak (literally, 'menagerie'), in reference to the collection of wild animals kept there by the owners of Brežice Castle. Locally, the settlement is also known as Tirget (< German Tiergarten 'zoo'), also a reference to the menagerie, or Čret (literally, 'marshland, morass'), referring to the local geography.[4]
History
During the Second World War, in the fall of 1941, the village population was evicted in order to make way for the resettlement of Gottschee Germans.[4]