Harlem is named after the Dutch city of Haarlem.
Harlem began as a Dutch village, formally organised in 1658 and named after Haarlem in the Netherlands. The station, opened in 1968, was meant to be called 149th Street–Seventh Avenue, but to avoid confusion with 149th Street–Grand Concourse it became 148th Street–Lenox Terminal, even though its entrance is at 149th Street.