The name Laniše is a dialect alteration of the older form Lanišče. The name is derived from the common noun lan 'flax', referring to a place where flax was grown.
Laniše is a scattered rural settlement in the upper part of the Tunjščica Valley. Tunjščica Creek, a tributary of the Pšata River, flows through the village from the north and the valley begins to widen at this point. The village lies in a protected position walled in by mountains on three sides, open only to the south, creating favorable conditions for fruit cultivation.