Named after the Van Siclens, a Dutch family settled here in colonial times.
The Van Siclens came from the Netherlands to western Long Island in the mid-17th century, with one branch in Gravesend and another in New Lots, then still the eastern part of the town of Flatbush. Like many colonial families they spelt their name in two ways: in Gravesend there is also a Van Sicklen Street, with a k.