Named after the place du 8-Mai-1945 in La Courneuve.
The German surrender signed at Reims on 7 May 1945 came into force the next day, 8 May, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe; the war went on until Japan surrendered on 2 September. In France 8 May was a public holiday from 1953 to 1959 and has been one again since 1981.