Named after Friedrich-Wilhelm-Platz, which honours the later Kaiser Friedrich III.
When the square was named, the future emperor was still Prussian crown prince and used his first names, Friedrich Wilhelm. Friedrich III (1831–1888) reigned for only 99 days. Laid out around 1870 to plans by Carstenn, the square is the centre of Friedenau’s symmetrical street plan; its church, Zum Guten Hirten, consecrated in 1893, forces the platform below into a slight curve.