Named after the rue du Chevaleret, after an old place name.
Until 1860 this area belonged to Ivry-sur-Seine; a path called the chemin du Chevaleret is mentioned in 1670. The origin is obscure: a landowner's name – a Chevaleret family lived in Ivry – or a path so narrow that only one horse could pass, which seems hardly credible. In the Middle Ages a chevaleret could mean a knight of modest rank or a squire.