Every station in New York: the stories behind the names

Tap a name to read where it comes from. The stories are short, checked against their sources, and free to read.

Open in the app ›Tap your line and read the story of every stop as you ride.

1 AvNamed after First Avenue, where the numbering of Manhattan's 1811 avenues begins.
2 AvSecond Avenue begins right here, at Houston Street.
3 AvNamed after Third Avenue, one of Manhattan's avenues of 1811.
3 Av–138 StWhere Third Avenue, carried over from Manhattan, crosses East 138th Street in Mott Haven.
3 Av–149 StNamed after the crossing of Third Avenue and East 149th Street, known as the Hub.
4 Av–9 StNamed after Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street, which cross here.
5 AvFifth Avenue began as the Middle Road drawn by surveyor Casimir Goerck.
5 Av/53 StNamed after the corner of Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street.
5 Av/59 StNamed after Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, at the south-east corner of Central Park.
6 AvOfficially the Avenue of the Americas since 1945, yet still called Sixth Avenue.
7 Av (B Q)Named after Seventh Avenue, one of Park Slope’s main shopping streets.
7 Av (E B D)Named after Seventh Avenue, where it crosses 53rd Street.
7 Av (F G)Named after Seventh Avenue, one of the main shopping streets of Park Slope.
8 Av (L)Named after Eighth Avenue, one of the long avenues of Manhattan's 1811 plan.
8 Av (N)Eighth Avenue was once 'Lapskaus Boulevard'; today it is lined by Brooklyn's Chinatown.
8 St–NYUNamed after Eighth Street and New York University, whose main campus it serves.
9 AvNamed after Ninth Avenue, near the old line between two Dutch towns.
14 St (1 2 3 F M)Named after 14th Street, where western Manhattan’s regular street grid begins.
14 St (A C E)Named after 14th Street, where western Manhattan’s regular street grid begins.
14 St–Union SqUnion Square marks the ‘union’ of two old roads, not a labour union.
15 St–Prospect ParkNamed after 15th Street and Prospect Park, first planned as ‘Mount Prospect Park’.
18 Av (D)18th Avenue is also known as Cristoforo Colombo Boulevard.
18 Av (F)Named after 18th Avenue, part of the old Town of New Utrecht street plan.
18 Av (N)18th Avenue follows the old road from New Utrecht to Flatbush.
18 StNamed after West 18th Street, one of the numbered streets of Manhattan’s grid.
20 Av (D)20th Avenue is one of the numbered avenues of the Bath Beach grid.
20 Av (N)Named after 20th Avenue, part of Brooklyn's grid of numbered avenues.
21 St21st Street was once Van Alst Avenue, named after a family of early settlers.
21 St–QueensbridgeQueensbridge is named after the Queensboro Bridge, just to the south.
23 St (1)Named after 23rd Street, the southern edge of a planned military parade ground.
23 St (C E)23rd Street, one of the wide crosstown streets of the 1811 grid plan.
23 St (F M)23rd Street, one of the wide crosstown streets of the 1811 grid.
23 St (R W)Named after 23rd Street, which meets Broadway and Fifth Avenue at Madison Square.
23 St–Baruch CollegeNamed after 23rd Street and Baruch College, which honours the financier Bernard Baruch.
25 Av25th Avenue belongs to the numbered avenues of southern Brooklyn, which stop at 28th Avenue.
25 StNamed after 25th Street, home to Green-Wood Cemetery’s main gate.
28 St (1)Named after 28th Street, home of the music-publishing district called Tin Pan Alley.
28 St (6)A numbered street of the 1811 grid, in the area once called Rose Hill.
28 St (R W)Named after 28th Street, the original Tin Pan Alley.
30 Av30th Avenue was called Grand Avenue when it was built.
33 St33rd Street runs near the southern edge of the old Murray farm on Murray Hill.
33 St–Rawson StRawson Street was the old name of today’s 33rd Street.
34 St–Herald SqNamed after the New York Herald, a newspaper once headquartered on the square.
34 St–Hudson YardsHudson Yards takes its name from the rail yard beside the Hudson River.
34 St–Penn Station (1 2 3)Named after 34th Street and Penn Station, which takes its name from the Pennsylvania Railroad.
34 St–Penn Station (A C E)Named after 34th Street and Penn Station, built by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
36 Av36th Avenue was once Washington Avenue, a name the station long kept.
36 St (D N R)Named after 36th Street, long a dividing line at the north of Sunset Park.
36 St (M R)36th Street, one of the numbered north–south streets of Long Island City.
39 Av–Dutch KillsDutch Kills was a hamlet named after its creek, a ‘kill’ in Dutch.
40 St–Lowery StRecalls Lowery Street, as 40th Street was called until the 1930s.
42 St–Bryant PkNamed after William Cullen Bryant, editor of the New York Evening Post.
42 St–Port Authority Bus TerminalNamed after 42nd Street and the Port Authority Bus Terminal, linked to the station.
45 StNamed after 45th Street, close to the park that gave Sunset Park its name.
46 St46th Street, one of the north–south numbered streets of the Queens grid.
46 St–Bliss StBliss Street, now 46th Street, was named after ferry operator and industrialist Neziah Bliss.
49 StNamed after West 49th Street, where it meets Seventh Avenue in Midtown.
50 St (1)Named after West 50th Street, one of Manhattan’s numbered crosstown streets.
50 St (C E)Named after West 50th Street, where it meets Eighth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen.
50 St (D)Named after 50th Street, one of the numbered streets crossing Borough Park.
51 StA numbered cross street of the 1811 plan, at the western edge of Turtle Bay.
52 StNamed after 52nd Street in Woodside, once Lincoln Avenue.
53 StNamed after 53rd Street in Sunset Park.
55 StNamed after 55th Street, the southern end of Borough Park’s Thirteenth Avenue strip.
57 St57th Street, one of the extra-wide crosstown streets of Manhattan's 1811 grid.
57 St–7 AvNamed after 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, the corner of Carnegie Hall.
59 St (4 5 6)59th Street is the street of the ‘59th Street Bridge’.
59 St (N R)Named after 59th Street, part of Brooklyn's grid of numbered streets.
59 St–Columbus CircleNamed after Columbus Circle, which takes its name from the Columbus monument at its centre.
61 St–WoodsideNamed after 61st Street and Woodside, a name 19th-century developers may have chosen.
62 StBefore the 1910s this spot was known as Bath Junction.
63 Dr–Rego Park‘Rego’ comes from the Real Good Construction Company, which developed the area.
65 St65th Street was called Rowan Street until the 1920s.
66 St–Lincoln CenterNamed after Lincoln Center, though nobody knows for sure which Lincoln it recalls.
67 Av67th Avenue, one of the numbered east–west avenues of Queens.
68 St–Hunter CollegeNamed after 68th Street and Hunter College, which honours its founder, Thomas Hunter.
69 StNamed after 69th Street, which was Fisk Avenue until the 1920s.
71 StNamed after 71st Street, at its crossing with New Utrecht Avenue.
72 St (1 2 3)Named after 72nd Street, where two small squares honour Verdi and General Sherman.
72 St (C B)Named after 72nd Street, one of the wide crosstown streets of the 1811 plan.
72 St (Q)One of the wide crosstown streets of the 1811 Manhattan grid.
74 St–BroadwayNamed after 74th Street and Broadway, a road pieced together from older ones.
75 Av75th Avenue; the stop was first named after Puritan Avenue.
75 St–Elderts LnNamed after 75th Street and Elderts Lane, which recalls a local Eldert family.
77 St (6)77th Street is home to Lenox Hill Hospital, which bears the neighbourhood’s name.
77 St (R)Named after 77th Street, one of Brooklyn’s numbered streets.
79 St (1)Named after West 79th Street; a bill proposes adding Saul Zabar’s name.
79 St (D)Named after 79th Street, where it crosses New Utrecht Avenue in Bensonhurst.
80 StNamed after 80th Street, which was Hudson Street before the 1920s.
81 St–Museum of Natural HistoryNamed after 81st Street and the American Museum of Natural History beside it.
82 St–Jackson HtsNamed after 82nd Street and Jackson Heights, which recalls entrepreneur John C. Jackson.
85 St–Forest PkwyNamed after 85th Street and Forest Parkway, one of the main roads of Forest Park.
86 St (1)Named after 86th Street; this stretch is also Isaac Bashevis Singer Boulevard.
86 St (4 5 6)East 86th Street was once nicknamed the ‘German Broadway’.
86 St (C B)Named after 86th Street, one of Manhattan’s wide crosstown streets.
86 St (N)Named after 86th Street, laid out on maps of New Utrecht and Gravesend by 1873.
86 St (Q)East 86th Street was once nicknamed the German Broadway.
86 St (R)Named after 86th Street, where Bay Ridge meets Fort Hamilton.
88 StNamed after 88th Street, once Boyd Avenue.
90 St–Elmhurst AvNamed after 90th Street and Elmhurst Avenue; ‘Elmhurst’ means ‘a grove of elms’.
96 St (1 2 3)Named after 96th Street, one of the 15 extra-wide crosstown streets of 1811.
96 St (6)A wide crosstown street of 1811, traditionally dividing Yorkville from East Harlem.
96 St (C B)Named after 96th Street, a wide crosstown street of the 1811 grid.
96 St (Q)The traditional dividing line between Yorkville and East Harlem.
103 St (1)Named after West 103rd Street, in the old Bloomingdale district.
103 St (6)A numbered street of East Harlem, at the foot of Duffy’s Hill on Lexington Avenue.
103 St (C B)Named after West 103rd Street, in the neighbourhood once called Clendening Valley.
103 St–Corona PlazaNamed after 103rd Street and Corona Plaza; ‘corona’ is Italian and Spanish for ‘crown’.
104 St (A)Named after 104th Street, which used to be Oxford Avenue.
104 St (J Z)Named after 104th Street in Richmond Hill, which old maps show as Wyckoff Avenue.
110 StEast 110th Street is also Tito Puente Way, after the ‘King of Latin Music’.
110 St–Malcolm X PlazaSince 2025 the station honours Malcolm X, who lived and preached in Harlem.
111 St (7)Named after 111th Street, where it crosses Roosevelt Avenue.
111 St (A)Named after 111th Street, formerly Greenwood Avenue.
111 St (J)Named after 111th Street in Richmond Hill, formerly Greenwood Avenue.
116 St (2 3)Along 116th Street, Harlem’s West African community is called Little Senegal.
116 St (6)East 116th Street honours Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rico’s first elected governor.
116 St (C B)Named after 116th Street, whose West African stretch is called Little Senegal.
116 St–Columbia UniversityNamed after 116th Street and Columbia University, whose main entrance is here.
121 StNamed after 121st Street, which old maps of Richmond Hill show as Spruce Street.
125 St (1)Named after 125th Street; this stretch was once Manhattan Street.
125 St (2 3)Named after 125th Street, co-named Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
125 St (4 5 6)Named after 125th Street, co-named Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and often called Harlem’s ‘Main Street’.
125 St (A C B D)Named after 125th Street, often considered the ‘Main Street’ of Harlem.
135 St (2 3)Named after 135th Street, planned in 1811 as a wide crosstown street.
135 St (C B)Named after 135th Street, at St. Nicholas Avenue in Harlem.
137 St–City CollegeNamed after 137th Street and the City College of New York nearby.
138 St–Grand ConcourseThe Grand Concourse begins here at East 138th Street; the station opened as Mott Haven Avenue.
145 St (1)Named after 145th Street, one of the 15 extra-wide crosstown streets of 1811.
145 St (3)145th Street, one of the wide crosstown streets of Manhattan’s 1811 grid.
145 St (A C B D)Named after 145th Street, one of the wide crosstown streets of Harlem.
149 St–HostosNamed after Hostos Community College, honouring the Puerto Rican educator Eugenio María de Hostos.
155 St (B D)155th Street was the northernmost crosstown street of Manhattan’s 1811 grid plan.
155 St (C)Named after 155th Street, the northernmost street of the 1811 grid.
157 StNamed after 157th Street; a plan to name it after Audubon Park failed.
161 St–Yankee StadiumNamed after East 161st Street and Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees.
163 St–Amsterdam AvAmsterdam Avenue recalls New Amsterdam, the Dutch-era name of the city.
167 St (4)Named after East 167th Street, one of the Bronx streets numbered on from Manhattan.
167 St (B D)Named after East 167th Street, numbered in the Manhattan system.
168 StNamed after 168th Street; the station was once Washington Heights–168th Street.
168 St–Washington HtsNamed after 168th Street and Washington Heights, which recalls Fort Washington.
169 St169th Street, one of the numbered north–south streets of Queens.
170 St (4)Named after 170th Street, which crosses Jerome Avenue, the Bronx’s East–West divider, right here.
170 St (B D)Named after East 170th Street, ‘East’ because of the Manhattan-style numbering.
174 StNamed after 174th Street, one of the Bronx's numbered cross streets.
175 StNamed after 175th Street; also known as 175th Street–George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal.
176 StNamed after 176th Street, which meets Jerome Avenue at the station.
181 St (1)Named after 181st Street; signs add the nearby George Washington Bridge.
181 St (A)Named after 181st Street; also known as 181st Street–Fort Washington Avenue.
183 StNamed after 183rd Street, one of the West Bronx’s numbered streets.
190 StNamed after 190th Street; originally 190th Street–Overlook Terrace.
191 StNamed after 191st Street, in the Fort George part of Washington Heights.
207 StNamed after West 207th Street, one of Inwood’s main shopping streets.
215 StNamed after West 215th Street, in the area once called Tubby Hook.
219 StNamed after East 219th Street, briefly the end of the line in 1917.
225 StNamed after East 225th Street in Wakefield, named for George Washington's birthplace.
231 StNamed after West 231st Street, in Kingsbridge, named after the King’s Bridge.
233 StNamed after East 233rd Street, one of Wakefield's numbered streets.
238 StNamed after West 238th Street, in the Bronx neighbourhood of Kingsbridge.
47–50 Sts–Rockefeller CtrNamed after Rockefeller Center, the complex commissioned by the Rockefeller family.
174–175 StsNamed after East 174th and East 175th Streets, which both pass beneath the Concourse.
182–183 StsNamed after 182nd and 183rd Streets, part of the Bronx’s numbered grid.

Alabama AvNamed after the state of Alabama, like several East New York streets.
Allerton AvNamed after Daniel Allerton, an early settler who farmed this area.
AnnadaleNamed after Anna Seguine, of a local family of Huguenot descent.
Aqueduct RacetrackNamed after the racetrack, itself named after the Ridgewood Aqueduct.
Aqueduct–N Conduit AvBoth names recall the buried conduit that carried Brooklyn’s water supply.
Arthur KillNamed after the Arthur Kill, the strait between Staten Island and New Jersey.
Astor PlNamed after John Jacob Astor, at one time the richest person in the United States.
Astoria BlvdThe old road to Astoria, a village named after John Jacob Astor.
Astoria–Ditmars BlvdNamed after Abram Ditmars, the first mayor of Long Island City.
Atlantic AvNamed after Atlantic Avenue, whose oldest stretch was once called District Street.
Atlantic Av–Barclays CtrNamed after Atlantic Avenue and the Barclays Center arena next door.
Avenue HThe station house was the sales office of the Fiske Terrace development.
Avenue INamed after Avenue I, one of Brooklyn’s lettered avenues.
Avenue JThe station began as Manhattan Terrace, named after a housing development.
Avenue MAvenue M cuts through the old village of South Greenfield, the station’s first name.
Avenue NNamed after Avenue N, one of Brooklyn’s lettered avenues.
Avenue PNamed after Avenue P, one of the lettered avenues of southern Brooklyn.
Avenue U (F)Named after Avenue U, a main thoroughfare among Brooklyn’s lettered avenues.
Avenue U (N)One of Brooklyn's lettered avenues, which run all the way from A to Z.
Avenue U (Q)One of the lettered avenues, from A to Z, of south-central Brooklyn.
Avenue XNamed after Avenue X, near the end of Brooklyn’s alphabet of lettered avenues.

Bay 50 StBay 50th Street is one of Brooklyn’s ‘Bay’ numbered streets.
Bay Pkwy (D)Bay Parkway takes the place of 22nd Avenue in Brooklyn’s numbered grid.
Bay Pkwy (F)Named after Bay Parkway, which was earlier known as 22nd Avenue.
Bay Pkwy (N)Bay Parkway was first mapped as 22nd Avenue, now the grid's missing number.
Bay Ridge–95 StBay Ridge was once Yellow Hook, renamed in 1853.
Bay Ridge AvBay Ridge Avenue, the grid’s 69th Street, carries the neighbourhood’s name.
Bay TerraceNamed after the street Bay Terrace, once called Bay Terrace Avenue.
Baychester AvBaychester joins nearby Eastchester Bay with the ‘chester’ of older place names.
Beach 25 StA numbered Rockaway street; the signs add the older name Wavecrest.
Beach 36 StSigned Beach 36th Street–Edgemere, after the neighbourhood founded here in 1892.
Beach 44 StBeach 44th Street was once Frank Avenue, a name the station signs still carry.
Beach 60 StSigned Straiton Avenue, the old name of Beach 60th Street.
Beach 67 St'Arverne' comes from the way Remington Vernam signed his cheques: R. Vernam.
Beach 90 StSigned ‘Holland’, after Michael P. Holland, an early developer of the area.
Beach 98 StSigned ‘Playland’, after the amusement park that stood beside it.
Beach 105 StNamed after Beach 105th Street; the station is also signed ‘Seaside’.
Bedford AvNamed after the old village of Bedford, near today's Fulton Street.
Bedford Park BlvdUntil 1906 this was 200th Street; sources disagree on where ‘Bedford’ comes from.
Bedford Park Blvd–Lehman CollegeBedford Park Boulevard was 200th Street until 1906; Lehman College honours Herbert H. Lehman.
Bedford–Nostrand AvsBedford recalls a hamlet named after an English town; Nostrand, a settler family.
Bergen St (2 3)Named after the Bergen family, early colonial landowners in Brooklyn.
Bergen St (F G)Named after the Bergen family, one of Brooklyn’s most important early families.
Beverley RdOnce Avenue B, given a British-sounding name by developers in 1897.
Beverly RdBeverly Road was once Avenue B, one of Brooklyn’s lettered avenues.
Bleecker StNamed after the Bleecker family, whose farm the street once ran through.
Borough HallNamed after Brooklyn Borough Hall, built as the City of Brooklyn’s city hall.
Botanic GardenNamed after the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, two blocks away.
Bowery‘Bowery’ comes from an old Dutch word for ‘farm’.
Bowling GreenNamed after a real bowling green, part of a park created here in 1733.
BriarwoodNamed after Briarwood, christened for the brambles in its woods.
Brighton BeachNamed in 1878 after the English seaside resort of Brighton.
Broad ChannelThe name first belonged to a channel in Jamaica Bay, not to the island.
Broad StBroad Street was once the Heere Gracht, a canal in New Amsterdam.
Broadway (G)Brooklyn’s Broadway was named after the Broadway in Manhattan.
Broadway (N W)Queens’ Broadway, pieced together from several older roads.
Broadway JunctionNamed for the junction at Broadway, a crossroads of rail lines.
Broadway–Lafayette StNamed after Broadway and a street honouring the Marquis de Lafayette.
Bronx Park EastNamed after Bronx Park, whose eastern edge is the street Bronx Park East.
Brook AvNamed after Mill Brook, a stream that once ran through the neighbourhood.
Brooklyn Bridge–City HallNamed after the Brooklyn Bridge and New York City Hall, both beside the station.
Buhre AvNamed after Daniel Buhre, whose farm was divided into building lots.
Burnside AvNamed after Burnside Avenue, which honours the Civil War general Ambrose Burnside.
Bushwick Av–Aberdeen St‘Bushwick’ comes from Boswijck, Dutch for ‘neighbourhood in the woods’ or ‘little town in the woods’.

Canal St (1)Named after a canal: the street follows a covered-over drainage ditch.
Canal St (A C E)Named after Canal Street, laid out along a covered drainage canal.
Canal St (R W J Z 6 N Q)Canal Street follows a covered canal dug to drain the polluted Collect Pond.
Canarsie–Rockaway Pkwy‘Canarsie’ is adapted from a Lenape word for ‘fenced land’ or ‘fort’.
Carroll StNamed after Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Castle Hill AvLeads to Castle Hill, named after a fortified Siwanoy village on a hill.
Cathedral Pkwy (110 St) (1)Named after the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, beside West 110th Street.
Cathedral Pkwy (110 St) (C B)110th Street is called Cathedral Parkway after the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
Chambers St (1 2 3)Named after John Chambers, an 18th-century lawyer and leading member of Trinity Church.
Chambers St (A C)Said to be named after John Chambers (1710–1764), a lawyer and judge in colonial New York.
Chambers St (J Z)Named after John Chambers, an 18th-century New York attorney.
Chauncey StNamed after Isaac Chauncey, a naval officer who commanded the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Christopher St–StonewallNamed after Christopher Street and, since 2024, the nearby Stonewall National Monument.
Church Av (2 5)Named after the Reformed Dutch Church at the heart of old Flatbush.
Church Av (B Q)Named after Flatbush’s Dutch Reformed Church, whose congregation dates from the 1650s.
Church Av (F G)Named after Church Avenue, the old road to the Reformed church of Flatbush.
City HallNamed after New York City Hall, the seat of the city’s government.
Clark StNamed after Clark Street; the station was first named after Brooklyn Heights.
Classon Av‘Classon’ comes from the Dutch surname Claeson, meaning ‘son of Claes’.
Cleveland StNamed after President Grover Cleveland; the street was once Jefferson Street.
CliftonMost likely named after the cliffs of nearby Grymes Hill.
Clinton–Washington Avs (C)Between two avenues named after Governor DeWitt Clinton and George Washington.
Clinton–Washington Avs (G)Two avenues honouring Governor DeWitt Clinton and President George Washington.
Coney Island–Stillwell AvTwo names: Coney Island, of disputed origin, and the settler Nicholas Stillwell.
Cortelyou RdNamed after Jacques Cortelyou, surveyor of New Netherland, or his landholding descendants.
Cortlandt StNamed after Oloff Van Cortlandt and his family, who owned the land.
Court SqThe name points to the Long Island City Courthouse, at 25-10 Court Square.
Court Sq–23 StCourt Square is named after the Queens County courthouse in Long Island City.
Court StCourt Street was called George Street until 1835.
Crescent StCrescent Street was once Cypress Avenue.
Crown Hts–Utica AvUtica Avenue is named after the upstate city; Crown Heights was once ‘Crow Hill’.
Cypress HillsNamed after Cypress Hills Cemetery, itself thought to be named for local cypress trees.

DeKalb Av (B Q R)Named after Johann de Kalb, a German-born general of the American Revolution.
DeKalb Av (L)Named after DeKalb Avenue, which honours Baron Johann de Kalb (1721–1780).
Delancey St–Essex StDelancey Street honours a colonial governor; Essex Street, an English county.
Ditmas AvDitmas Avenue was once Avenue E; it shares its name with Ditmas Park.
Dongan HillsNamed after Thomas Dongan, governor of the Province of New York.
Dyckman St (1)Named after the Dyckman family, who farmed over 250 acres here.
Dyckman St (A)Named after William Dyckman, a Dutch farmer whose family owned land here.

E 143 St–St Mary's StEast 143rd Street is also called St. Mary’s Street, a name shared with St. Mary’s Park.
E 149 StA Bronx continuation of Manhattan’s numbered streets, on the edge of Mott Haven.
E 180 StNamed after East 180th Street; the station was once also named for Morris Park Avenue.
East 105 StNamed after East 105th Street, one of the numbered ‘East’ streets of Brooklyn’s grid.
East BroadwayA colonial lane, officially named East Broadway in 1830.
Eastchester–Dyre AvEastchester recalls a colonial town; Dyre Avenue appears to recall an early mayor.
Eastern Pkwy–Brooklyn MuseumNamed after Eastern Parkway and the Brooklyn Museum beside the station.
Elmhurst AvElmhurst means ‘a grove of elms’, a name chosen for old Newtown in 1897.
EltingvilleNamed after the Elting family, who settled here in the 19th century.

Far Rockaway–Mott Av‘Rockaway’ comes from a Lenape name that may have meant ‘place of sands’.
Flatbush Av–Brooklyn College‘Flatbush’ recalls the Dutch name Vlachte Bos, ‘wooded plain’; Brooklyn College is nearby.
Flushing Av (G)The name points to Flushing in Queens, a place this avenue never reaches.
Flushing Av (M J)Named for Flushing, a place the avenue never reaches.
Flushing–Main St‘Flushing’ is the English form of Vlissingen, the Dutch city it was named after.
Fordham Rd (4)‘Fordham’ may refer to a river ford, or to a 15th-century English priest.
Fordham Rd (B D)Fordham Road is named after Fordham, the 17th-century manor of John Archer.
Forest Hills–71 AvForest Hills was named in 1906 after nearby Forest Park.
Fort Hamilton Pkwy (D)Fort Hamilton Parkway leads to Fort Hamilton, the army post it is named after.
Fort Hamilton Pkwy (F G)Named after Fort Hamilton Parkway, the road to the army post of Fort Hamilton.
Fort Hamilton Pkwy (N)Leads to Fort Hamilton, the army base named after Alexander Hamilton.
Franklin AvNamed after Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers.
Franklin Av–Medgar Evers CollegeFranklin Avenue, joined in 2020 by the college named after Medgar Evers.
Franklin StNamed after Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), the Revolutionary-era statesman.
Freeman StNamed after Norman K. Freeman, a 19th-century Bronx academic.
Fresh Pond RdNamed after two small ponds that once lay near the road.
Fulton St (4 5 2 3 A C J Z)Named after Robert Fulton, the engineer famous for his steamboat.
Fulton St (G)Named after Robert Fulton, the steamboat pioneer.

Gates AvNamed after Horatio Gates, an American general of the Revolutionary War.
Graham AvNamed after John and James Lorimer Graham, Brooklyn land speculators of 1836.
Grand Army PlazaNamed after the plaza honouring the Union veterans of the Civil War.
Grand Av–NewtownNewtown was the English name of the old village now called Elmhurst.
Grand Central–42 StNamed after Grand Central Terminal, named by and for the New York Central Railroad.
Grand St (B D)‘Grand’ may recall a planned square, or simply the street’s breadth.
Grand St (L)Named after Grand Street, once the first main commercial street of Williamsburg.
Grant CityNamed after Ulysses S. Grant, the Civil War general and later president.
GrasmereNamed after Grasmere, a village in England’s Lake District.
Great KillsFrom the Dutch ‘kill’, creek or channel: many small streams cross the area.
Greenpoint AvNamed after Greenpoint, originally a grassy point jutting into the East River.
Gun Hill Rd (2 5)Gun Hill is said to recall a cannon fired at the British in 1777.
Gun Hill Rd (5)Gun Hill is said to recall a cannon fired at the British in 1777.

Halsey St (J)Named, according to Brooklyn by Name, after a developer called James Halsey.
Halsey St (L)Named, according to Brooklyn by Name, after a developer called James Halsey.
Harlem–148 StHarlem is named after the Dutch city of Haarlem.
Hewes StNamed after Joseph Hewes, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
High StNamed after High Street, which once ran past here and was later cut short.
Houston StNamed after William Houstoun of Georgia, which is why New Yorkers say ‘HOW-stən’.
Howard Beach–JFK AirportNamed after a Brooklyn glove maker who developed the area, and an airport renamed for President Kennedy.
Hoyt StNamed after Charles Hoyt, a developer who bought land here in 1833.
Hoyt–Schermerhorn StsNamed after two crossing streets, Hoyt Street and Schermerhorn Street.
HuguenotNamed after the Huguenots, French Protestants who settled here.
Hunters Point AvNamed after Hunters Point, which recalls British sea captain George Hunter.
Hunts Point AvNamed after Hunts Point, the peninsula named for Thomas Hunt Jr.

Intervale AvNamed after Intervale Avenue, which follows the valley of a buried brook.
Inwood–207 St‘Inwood’ replaced the old name Tubby Hook in 1864.

Jackson Hts–Roosevelt AvJackson Heights is named after Jackson Avenue, itself named after John C. Jackson.
Jamaica–179 St‘Jamaica’ may come from a Lenape word for beaver.
Jamaica Center–York CollegeNamed after downtown Jamaica and York College, a CUNY college founded in 1966.
Jamaica–Van WyckNamed after the Van Wyck Expressway and the old Queens town of Jamaica.
Jay St–MetroTechNamed after Jay Street, honouring John Jay, and the MetroTech business and education complex.
Jefferson AvNamed after Jefferson Avenue, the street it serves.
Jefferson StNamed after Jefferson Street in Bushwick; the sources we found do not say whom it honours.
Junction BlvdNamed after Junction Boulevard, whose name has no certain explanation.
Junius StJunius Street was formerly Johnson Avenue.

Kew Gardens–Union TpkeKew Gardens is named after the well-known botanical gardens at Kew, in England.
Kings Hwy (B Q)Named after an old colonial road whose royal name has more than one explanation.
Kings Hwy (F)Named after Kings Highway, a colonial road named after Kings County.
Kings Hwy (N)Named after Kings County, itself named in honour of King Charles II.
Kingsbridge Rd (4)Kingsbridge takes its name from the King’s Bridge, likely built by enslaved Africans in 1693.
Kingsbridge Rd (B D)Kingsbridge Road is named after the King’s Bridge of 1693.
Kingston AvNamed after Kingston, the first of a row of avenues honouring New York State cities.
Kingston–Throop AvsNamed after the Hudson River city of Kingston and Governor Enos T. Throop.
Knickerbocker AvPossibly a nod to Washington Irving’s fictional Knickerbocker.
Kosciuszko StNamed after Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish officer who served the American Revolution.

Lafayette AvNamed after the Marquis de Lafayette, French volunteer in the American Revolution.
Lexington Av/53 StLexington Avenue is named after the Battle of Lexington in the American Revolutionary War.
Lexington Av/59 StLexington Avenue recalls the Battle of Lexington in the American Revolutionary War.
Lexington Av/63 StLexington Avenue is named after the Battle of Lexington in the Revolutionary War.
Liberty AvSaid to recall ‘the liberty road’, free for farmers to travel.
Livonia AvNamed after Livonia Avenue, which recalls Livonia, a historic region on the Baltic.
Longwood AvNamed after Longwood, a neighbourhood that grew out of a 19th-century estate called Longwood Park.
Lorimer St (L)Named, like Graham Avenue, after the land speculators John and James Lorimer Graham.
Lorimer St (M J)Named, like Graham Avenue, after John and James Lorimer Graham.

Marble Hill–225 St‘Marble Hill’ comes from marble deposits found beneath the neighbourhood.
Marcy AvNamed after William L. Marcy, Governor of New York and US Secretary of State.
Metropolitan AvMetropolitan Avenue began as the Williamsburgh and Jamaica Turnpike.
Mets–Willets PointNamed after the New York Mets and Willets Point, a name from the Willets family.
Middle Village–Metropolitan AvMiddle Village lay midway between Williamsburg and Jamaica.
Middletown RdRuns through old Middletown, said to lie midway between Westchester and Pelham Bridge.
Montrose AvNamed after Montrose Avenue, whose namesake is uncertain.
Morgan AvNamed after Morgan Avenue; part of it was once Linden Street.
Morris ParkNamed after John Albert Morris, who built the Morris Park Racecourse.
Morrison Av–SoundviewThe station opened in 1920 as Sound View Avenue, named after an old local road.
Mosholu Pkwy‘Mosholu’ may be an Algonquin word meaning ‘smooth stones’ or ‘small stones’.
Mt Eden AvMount Eden recalls Rachel Eden, who bought land on this hilly ground in 1820.
Myrtle AvNamed after the myrtle that once grew plentifully here.
Myrtle–Willoughby AvsNamed after myrtle trees and a little-known Brooklyn businessman.
Myrtle–Wyckoff AvsTwo avenues: one named after myrtle, one after an early settler family.

Nassau AvNassau Avenue probably recalls the Dutch House of Orange-Nassau.
Neck RdGravesend Neck Road, a colonial road leading to a ‘neck’, probably of dry land.
Neptune AvNamed after Neptune Avenue, which bears the name of the Roman god of the seas.
Nereid AvNamed after Nereid Avenue, which recalls a local fire company with a sea-nymph name.
Nevins StNamed after Russell Nevins, a Manhattan banker who developed land here.
New DorpFrom the Dutch Nieuwe Dorp, ‘New Village’.
New Lots Av (3)New Lots Avenue recalls the ‘new lots’ laid out east of Flatbush by Dutch farmers.
New Lots Av (L)Named after New Lots Avenue, which recalls the old Town of New Lots.
New Utrecht AvRecalls New Utrecht, a Dutch town established here in 1652.
Newkirk Av–Little HaitiLittle Haiti honours the area’s Haitian community; Newkirk recalls a Dutch family.
Newkirk PlazaNamed after a shopping plaza on Newkirk Avenue.
Northern BlvdEast of Flushing, Northern Boulevard began as a Native American trail.
Norwood–205 St‘Norwood’ may honour Carlisle Norwood, or simply shorten ‘North Woods’.
Nostrand Av (3)Named after the Nostrand family, perhaps after Gerret Noorstrandt in particular.
Nostrand Av (A C)Named after the Nostrand family, probably after Gerret Noorstrandt, a 17th-century settler.

Oakwood HeightsNamed after Oakwood; locals usually leave off the ‘Heights’.
Ocean PkwyThe parkway Olmsted and Vaux designed to run from Prospect Park to the Atlantic.
Old TownFrom the Dutch Oude Dorp, ‘old village’, the first permanent settlement on Staten Island.
Ozone Park–Lefferts BlvdNamed after Ozone Park, a name chosen to evoke sea breezes, and Lefferts Boulevard.

Park PlPark Place was known as Baltic Street until the early 1870s.
Park PlaceNamed after Park Place, where King’s College, later Columbia, once stood.
Parkchester‘Parkchester’ blends Park Versailles and Westchester Heights, the areas on either side.
Parkside AvThe avenue along the southern edge of Prospect Park.
Parsons BlvdNamed after the horticulturist Samuel Bowne Parsons.
Pelham Bay ParkRecalls Thomas Pell, who bought land here from the Siwanoy in 1654 and named it Pelham.
Pelham Pkwy (2 5)Named after Pelham Parkway, the road linking Bronx Park with Pelham Bay Park.
Pelham Pkwy (5)Pelham Parkway is named after its destination, Pelham Bay Park.
Pennsylvania AvOne of East New York’s ‘state streets’, also called Granville Payne Avenue.
Pleasant PlainsA name chosen by the railway company for its station, later taken by the village.
President St–Medgar Evers CollegeSince 2020 the name also honours Medgar Evers and the college named after him.
Prince StWhy this street bears a royal-sounding name is not certain.
Prince's BayAccording to tradition, named after a prince who anchored in the bay.
Prospect Av (2 5)Named after Prospect Avenue, whose southern part offers views of the East River.
Prospect Av (R)Renamed Prospect Avenue in 1868, when Prospect Park was created; formerly Middle Street.
Prospect ParkNamed after Mount Prospect, a hilltop once known for its sweeping views.

Queens PlazaQueens Plaza was built where the Queensboro Bridge meets Queens Boulevard.
Queensboro PlazaNamed after the plaza at the Queens end of the Queensboro Bridge.

Ralph AvSaid to be named after Ralph Patchen, a 19th-century Brooklyn landowner.
Rector St (1)Rector Street was once Auchmuty Street, named after a rector of Trinity Church.
Rector St (R W)One of several street names that recall nearby Trinity Church.
Richmond ValleyA name given by the railway, which turned part of Tottenville into its own neighbourhood.
Rockaway Av (3)Named after Rockaway Avenue, which was first called Paca Avenue.
Rockaway Av (C)Before it was Rockaway Avenue, this street bore the name of William Paca.
Rockaway BlvdNamed after Rockaway Boulevard, the old Rockaway Road.
Rockaway Park–Beach 116 St‘Rockaway’ may come from the Lenape; Beach 116th Street is Rockaway Park’s centre.
Roosevelt IslandNamed in 1973 after President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Saratoga AvNamed in 1835 after Saratoga, the upstate town of a Revolutionary War battle.
Seneca AvNamed after the Seneca, one of the Native American nations of New York.
Sheepshead BayNamed after the bay, which was named after the sheepshead fish.
Smith–9 StsNamed after Smith Street, honouring Brooklyn mayor Samuel Smith, and Ninth Street.
South FerryNamed after the South Ferry, a ferry route to Brooklyn that ran further south than older ones.
Spring St (6)Named after a freshwater spring that once ran through Lispenard’s Meadow.
Spring St (C E)Named after a freshwater spring in Lispenard’s Meadow.
St GeorgeNamed after George Law, a developer, not after the saint.
St Lawrence AvPossibly honours a Lawrence; ‘Saint’ was added because a Lawrence Avenue already existed.
StapletonNamed after William J. Staples, a Manhattan merchant who laid out the village.
Steinway StNamed after the Steinway piano makers, who built a company town in Astoria.
Sutphin BlvdNamed after John H. Sutphin, a Jamaica banker and politician.
Sutphin Blvd–Archer Av–JFK AirportNamed after John H. Sutphin’s boulevard, Archer Avenue and JFK Airport.
Sutter Av–Rutland RdRutland Road was Tulip Street until Brooklyn renamed it in 1897.

Times Sq–42 StTimes Square is named after The New York Times, whose new tower was going up here in 1904.
TompkinsvilleNamed after Daniel D. Tompkins, governor of New York and vice president.
TottenvilleNamed after the Totten family, local landowners.
Tremont Av‘Tremont’ was coined in the 19th century, by tradition from three local ‘mounts’.

Union StWhy Union Street bears its name is uncertain.
Utica AvNamed after Utica, a city in Upstate New York.

Van Cortlandt Park–242 StNamed after Van Cortlandt Park and the colonial Van Cortlandt family.
Van Siclen Av (3)Named after the Van Siclens, a Dutch family settled here in colonial times.
Van Siclen Av (C)The name of the Van Siclen family, Dutch settlers of western Long Island.
Van Siclen Av (J Z)The name recalls the Van Siclen family, Dutch settlers of colonial Brooklyn.
Vernon Blvd–Jackson AvTwo old roads: one honours Newport merchants, the other a turnpike company president.

W 4 St–Wash SqNamed after West 4th Street and Washington Square, which honours George Washington.
W 8 St–NY AquariumNamed after West 8th Street and the New York Aquarium in Coney Island.
Wakefield–241 StWakefield is named after George Washington’s birthplace in Virginia.
Wall St (2 3)Wall Street recalls the wall that guarded New Amsterdam’s northern edge.
Wall St (4 5)Named after a real city wall that stood here from 1653 to 1699.
West Farms Sq–E Tremont AvNamed after the old village of West Farms and East Tremont Avenue.
Westchester Sq–E Tremont AvWestchester Square was the centre of the old village and town of Westchester.
Whitehall St–South FerryWhitehall recalls a governor’s house; South Ferry an old ferry to Brooklyn.
Whitlock AvRecalls Benjamin Whitlock, whose Hunts Point mansion was known as ‘Whitlock’s Folly’.
Wilson AvNamed after Wilson Avenue, which honours President Woodrow Wilson.
Woodhaven Blvd (J Z)Named after Woodhaven Boulevard, which takes its name from the neighbourhood of Woodhaven.
Woodhaven Blvd (M R)Woodhaven Boulevard is named after the neighbouring Queens community of Woodhaven.
WoodlawnWoodlawn is linked to Woodlawn Road, the old name of Bainbridge Avenue, and to the cemetery.
World Trade CenterNamed after the World Trade Center, built on the site of Hudson Terminal.
WTC CortlandtNamed after the World Trade Center and Cortlandt Street, which recalls the Van Cortlandt family.

Zerega AvProbably named after Augustus Zerega diZerega, a merchant and shipowner.