In the past, the area was generally called "Kuchitanba" or "Kuchitan", not Nantan, and even now, there are some people who refer to the area with these terms instead of Nantan.
かつては、南丹ではなく口丹波（くちたんば）や口丹（くちたん）と呼ぶのが一般的であり、現在でも使用する人びとは少なくない。