List of Philadelphia placename etymologies

Source of the place names in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Streets

Street NameSource
Aramingo AvenueNamed for Aramingo Borough whose name was a corruption of the Lenni Lenapi stream name Tumanaraming, meaning "Wolf Walk."[1]
Baltimore AvenueOriginally Baltimore Pike, named for the destination city of Baltimore, Maryland
Blair StreetNamed for John Blair.[1]
Broad StreetAs with "Broad Street" in various other towns and cities, it was named for its breadth, and laid out and developed as a central thoroughfare.
Cecil B. Moore AvenueNamed in honor of the late Philadelphia civil rights attorney Cecil B. Moore, who led the fight to integrate Girard College, president of the local NAACP, and member of Philadelphia's City Council. Was formerly called Columbia Avenue.
Callowhill StreetNamed for Hannah Callowhill Penn, William Penn's second wife and acting proprietor of the colony of Pennsylvania from 1712 to 1726.
Cheltenham AvenueFollows the border between Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County and Philadelphia County.
Cherry StreetOne of William Penn's streets named for trees, this one was named for the cherry tree.
Chestnut StreetOne of William Penn's streets named for trees, this one was named for the chestnut tree.
Chew AvenueNamed after Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Province of Pennsylvania, Benjamin Chew
City AvenueThe street is also U.S. 1, and its name refers to its role as both the Philadelphia city line and the Montgomery County line.
Columbus BoulevardFormerly Delaware Avenue because it ran along the Delaware River. Renamed in honor of explorer Christopher Columbus upon the 500th anniversary of his famous 1492 voyage, as requested by various Italian Americans of South Philadelphia.
Dickinson StreetNamed for John Dickinson, Continental Congressman and one of the signers of the Constitution.
Elfreth's AlleyNamed after Jeremiah Elfreth, an 18th-century blacksmith and property owner. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited residential streets in the United States of America, dating to 1702.
Federal StreetThe road between two Federal properties, the Philadelphia Navy Yard and the Schuylkill Arsenal[2]
Benjamin Franklin ParkwayNamed for Benjamin Franklin.
Front StreetLike "Front Street" in various other towns and cities, it was named after a riverfront, in this case the Delaware riverfront, which for several centuries was the economic and social heart of the city.
Germantown AvenueIt was the road to Germantown back when Germantown was a separate town, several miles outside Philadelphia.
Girard Avenue, Girard Point, and Girard Point BridgeNamed for financier Stephen Girard.
Independence Mall East, Independence Mall WestNamed for Independence Mall, the district whose heart is Independence Hall.
Kelly DriveFormerly East River Drive, because it runs along the east bank of the Schuylkill River, it was renamed in honor of Olympic athlete John B. Kelly Jr..[3]
John F. Kennedy BoulevardBuilt in the 1950s as part of the large redevelopment of the Pennsylvania Railroad "Chinese Wall" and former Broad Street Station that created Penn Center; it was for several years called Pennsylvania Boulevard before being renamed for John F. Kennedy after his assassination. It serves as part of Pennsylvania Route 3.
Lancaster AvenueOriginally Lancaster Pike, named for the destination city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Locust StreetOne of William Penn's streets named for trees, this one was named for the locust tree.
Market StreetAs with "Market Street" in many other towns and cities, it was for several centuries the main market site.
ManayunkThe neighborhood's name comes from the word "manaiung," place where we go to drink, in the language of the Lenape[4]
Martin Luther King Jr. Drive[5]Formerly called West River Drive because it runs along the west bank of the Schuylkill River, it was renamed in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Mount Pleasant DriveNamed for the historic mansion Mount Pleasant, built in what was then the countryside outside of the city by a privateer.[6] It is now an off-premises gallery of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Fairmount Park.[7]
Moyamensing AvenueNamed for Lenni Lenape word meaning "pigeon droppings."[8]
Old York Road, York Road, King's HighwayThe old road to New York City was named, as was that city and its province, for James, Duke of York (later James II & VII.)
Passyunk AvenueNamed for the Lenape word meaning "in the valley; in the Valleys."[9]
Philmont AveNamed for the county line between Philadelphia and Montgomery counties, which it runs along for part of its route (Phil + Mont).
Pine StreetOne of William Penn's streets named for trees, this one was named for the pine tree.
Race StreetRace Street was originally called Sassafras Street and until the mid-19th century was often used as a horse race track—the era's equivalent of today's street racing. Eventually the name Race Street became the official name.
Reed StreetNamed for Joseph Reed, statesmen of the American Revolution.
Ridge AvenueNamed for the ridge of high ground between the Wissahickon and Schuylkill valleys, which the avenue follows.
Rising Sun AvenueNamed after the Rising Sun Tavern, which was an important roadhouse in colonial times.
Roosevelt Boulevard/Roosevelt ExpresswayNamed for President Theodore Roosevelt.
Sansom StreetNamed by developer William Sansom for himself (See Jewelers' Row)
Shackamaxon StreetNamed for the historic village where the Shackamaxon Treaty was signed between William Penn and the village leaders of the Delaware/Lenape Indian tribe.
South StreetFormerly known as Cedar Street (originally one of William Penn's streets named for trees, in this case cedar trees), it is the original southern border of the city of Philadelphia, before the 1854 Act of Consolidation.
Spruce StreetOne of William Penn's streets named for trees, this one was named for the spruce tree.
Walnut StreetOne of William Penn's streets named for trees, this one was named for the walnut tree.
Vine StreetOne of William Penn's streets named for trees, this one was named after vines.

Place names

Place NameSource
Clark ParkBuilt on land donated by Clarence Howard Clark, originally known as "Clarence H. Clark Park".[10]
Delaware RiverNamed for the Delaware Bay which was named after Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, governor of the Jamestown Colony.
Fern RockThe neighborhood is named after the ancestral estate of Elisha Kent Kane, a renowned arctic explorer and naval surgeon from Philadelphia.
Fox ChaseNamed for the "Fox Chase Inn" which catered to affluent fox hunters.
Franklin SquareNamed for Benjamin Franklin.
Independence MallNamed for Independence Hall.
Lemon HillNamed for the numerous lemon trees in Robert Morris's greenhouse.
Logan CircleNamed Logan Square after Philadelphia statesman James Logan.[11]
ManayunkFrom the Lenape name for the Schuylkill River, "Manaiung", their word for "river", which literally translates as "place to drink".[12][13]
Marconi Plazain honor of the Nobel Prize Laureate Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of radio.
Mount AiryNamed for the estate of William Allen
NicetownNamed after immigrants to the area whose surname has appeared with many spellings over the centuries, including Neues, Neus, Neiss, Nice, and Nyce.
Pastorius ParkNamed in honor of Francis Pastorius, a leader of early German immigrants to the area.
Queen VillageNamed for Queen Christina of Sweden who promoted European settlement of the area.[14]
Rittenhouse SquareNamed for David Rittenhouse.[15]
RittenhouseTownNamed after William Rittenhouse.
RoxboroughThe area was likely named for Roxburghshire, Scotland, the original home of Andrew Robeson, one of the early settlers of what is now Roxborough.
Society HillNamed after the Free Society of Traders, which had its offices in the area.
SouthwarkNamed for a district in London.[16]
TorresdaleOriginally Torrisdale, named by Charles Macalester for his Scotland home.[17]
Washington SquareNamed for George Washington.
WicacoFrom the Lenni Lenapi name for the area meaning "Pleasant Place".[16]
Wissahickon CreekFrom the Lenape language for "catfish creek" or "stream of yellowish color".[13]

References

  1. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
  2. ↑ Schuylkill Arsenal « THE NECESSITY FOR RUINS
  3. ↑ Kelly Drive : Photo Detail :: gophila.com - The Official Visitor Site for Greater Philadelphia
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2002-06-04. Retrieved 2006-05-23.
  5. ↑ Taussig, Doron (January 13–19, 2005). "Fit for a King?". Philadelphia Citypaper., p. 36. www.citypaper.net/articles/2005-01-13/cb.shtml Archived 2006-03-08 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑ "Mount Pleasant". Independence Hall Association. It was built in 1761-62 by Captain John Macpherson, a privateer who had had "an arm twice shot off" according to John Adams. The pirate called the house "Clunie" after the seat of his family's ancient clan in Scotland.
  7. ↑ Philadelphia Museum of Art. "Fairmount Park Houses: Mount Pleasant". Scottish ship captain John Macpherson (1726–1792) and his first wife, Margaret, built their grand country estate on this site—high atop cliffs overlooking the Schuylkill River—between 1762 and 1765. They employed as their builder-architect Thomas Nevell (1721–1797), an apprentice of Edmund Woolley, the builder of Independence Hall.
  8. ↑ Philaplace.org page with reference Retrieved 2011-01-31
  9. ↑ Retrieved 2012-07-24
  10. ↑ JAMA, 1912
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ Nickels, Thom Images of America :ManayunkArcadia Publishing 2001, ISBN 978-0-7385-0511-4
  13. 1 2 Chapter 3 - Part II, Vol. II - Watson's Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, 1857
  14. ↑
  15. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  16. 1 2 Sitarski, Stephen. From Weccacoe to South Philadelphia: The Changing Face of a Neighborhood. Pennsylvania Historical Society
  17. ↑ "Torresdale", Historical Northeast Philadelphia: Stories and Memories ~1994, William C. English and Elaine D. Malinowski, Torresdale Historical Society
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