The toponym Vlašić (mountain name) derived from the name Vlasi (Serbo-Croatian for Vlachs), historically used in Bosnia and Herzegovina for its transhumant population. Academics like late Marko Vego believe that the Vlachs, as remnant of the Roman Empire, came up with a recipe for the trademarks of product of the mountain and the region, namely the Vlašić cheese, sometime around 1000 AD or earlier. Henceforth, by perfecting the recipe, the Vlachs passed on the tradition to other cattle breeders from the surrounding mountains.