Little Haiti honours the area’s Haitian community; Newkirk recalls a Dutch family.
Haitian immigrants began settling here in the 1960s and 1970s; the city designated Little Haiti in 2018. The station, originally Newkirk Avenue, was renamed in November 2021, with a formal dedication on 18 November, the anniversary of the Battle of Vertières, the last major battle of the Haitian Revolution. According to Forgotten New York, Newkirk honours the Nieukercke family, who arrived in 1659.