Named after Nereid Avenue, which recalls a local fire company with a sea-nymph name.
In Greek mythology the Nereids are the 50 daughters of Nereus, the ‘Old Man of the Sea’. According to Forgotten New York, the avenue was named for a local fire company, as fire companies took water-related names. The avenue is also East 238th Street, and in 1917 residents had the station renamed East 238th Street.