The Czech name Krkonoše is first mentioned (in the singular, as Krkonoš) in a 1492 record of the division of the Manor of Štěpanice into two parts. The first map occurrence of the name dates back to 1518, when Mikuláš Klaudyán referred to the mountains as Krkonoss. The origin of the name is usually interpreted as a compound of krk or krak - an Old Slavonic word for Krummholz (a reference to the local vegetation) - and noš - derived from nosit (to carry). Alternative linguistic theories mention a connection with the pre-Indo-European word Corconti, which is first listed by Ptolemy and refers to a pre-Celtic or Germanic people.