The name is of Hungarian origin and is probably derived from the word kürtös which either means a bugler or, more likely motivated by the ethnonym Kürt (one of Magyar tribes).

Before the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, Veľký Krtíš was part of Nógrád County within the Kingdom of Hungary.

The village developed to a town in the 1960s with the opening of the mine for brown coal with massive industrialisation under the Communist Party.

[5] The former Liaz plant is now owned by a Turkish investment firm producing luxury vehicle parts for various automobile companies like Aston Martin, Land Rover and Jaguar.

Veľký Krtíš lies at an altitude of 200 metres (656 ft) above sea level and covers an area of 15.028 square kilometres (5.8 sq mi).