Pelham Parkway is named after its destination, Pelham Bay Park.
Formally the Bronx and Pelham Parkway, the road runs from Bronx Park to Pelham Bay Park, hence its name. In 1654 the Englishman Thomas Pell bought land from the Siwanoy, including the area of today’s park; a 1666 patent from Governor Richard Nicolls made it a manor. Pell is said to have named it Pelham after his tutor, Pelham Burton.