Named after the rue de la Gaîté ('cheerfulness'), a street of taverns and theatres.
Outside the old city tollgates of Maine and Montparnasse, the street was lined with open-air taverns, restaurants and theatres. Since 30 November 2021, the day Josephine Baker entered the Panthéon, the station has been subtitled Joséphine Baker: the nearby Bobino was the last theatre where she performed.