Named after the place de Clichy, on the site of the old Clichy tollgate.
The barrière de Clichy, a gate in the Wall of the Farmers-General, was the way out of Paris to the village of Clichy; in 1793 it was called barrière Fructidor. In March 1814 Marshal Moncey defended it against Russian troops. Formerly the place de la Barrière de Clichy, the square took its present name on 30 December 1864.