Mačkovec pri Škocjanu


Mačkovec pri Škocjanu is a small settlement in the Municipality of Škocjan in southeastern Slovenia. Within th emunicipality, it belongs to the Village Community of Dole. It lies north of Škocjan, just off the road to Dolenje Dole. The municipality is now included in the Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region. The surname Hočevar is frequent in the village.

Geography

Mačkovec pri Škocjanu is a clustered settlement on the west slope of Lapor Hill and east of Little Creek. The soil is mostly sandy, with field areas named Zadnje njive, Kamenca, and na Laporju, and meadows in the Zadole area. There is wooded land to the northeast.

Name

Mačkovec pri Škocjanu was attested in written sources circa 1400 as Kaczendorff. Morphological evidence indicates that the name is not derived directly from maček 'cat', but instead from Maček used as a nickname for an individual. The name is less likely to be derived from the noun mačkovec 'pussy willow'. The name of the settlement was changed from Mačkovec to Mačkovec pri Škocjanu in 1953.