Named after the town of Saint-Denis and its place de la Porte-de-Paris.
The town takes its name from the martyr Denis, first bishop of Paris in the 3rd century, whose tomb lies where the basilica bearing his name now stands. According to legend, after being beheaded at Montmartre around 250, he rose and walked, carrying his head, to his burial place. The station's subtitle, Stade de France, names the stadium south of it.