Named after the boulevard Raspail, which honours François-Vincent Raspail (1794–1878).
Raspail was a chemist, botanist and republican politician, jailed many times; in 1848 he stood for president while in prison. The boulevard took his name in 1887. Its southern section, between the boulevard du Montparnasse and the place Denfert-Rochereau, was formerly the boulevard d'Enfer, after the old barrière d'Enfer.