List of eponymous streets in New York City

This is a list of streets and squares in New York City named after a person, organized by borough.[1]

Manhattan

• Allen Street – Captain William Henry Allen, the youngest person to command a Navy ship in the War of 1812.
• Ann Street – Ann White, wife of developer and merchant Capt. Thomas White
• Astor Place and Astor Row – John Jacob Astor and other members of the Astor family, landowners[2]
• Barrow Street – Thomas Barrow, artist of a popular engraving of Trinity Church
• Bayard Street and Hester Street – Hester Bayard
• Beach Street – Paul Bache, the son-in-law of Anthony Lispenard, who owned Lispenard Meadows, just south of what is now Canal Street
• Beak Street – uncertain, but probably for the Beak family
• Beekman Place, Beekman Street, William Street – Wilhelmus Beekman. William Street is also named for William of Nassau.
• Bethune Street (pronounced /bɛˈθjuːn/ beth-YOON) – Johanna Bethune, co-founder of the New York Orphan Asylum
• Bleecker Street – Anthony Bleecker (1770–1827). a lawyer, poet and friend of Washington Irving and William Cullen Bryant, because the street ran through Bleecker's farm.
• Bogardus Place – the Bogardus family, including Everardus Bogardus and James Bogardus
• Bradhurst Avenue – Dr. Samuel Bradhurst (1749–1826), physician and merchant, whose country seat in Harlem was near the namesake street
• Broome Street – John Broome, lieutenant governor of New York
• Cabrini Boulevard – Mother Cabrini
• Catherine Street (Manhattan) – Catherine (originally spelled Catharine), mother of Henry Rutgers. Rutgers named the Catherine Market and one of its adjacent streets in the Lower East Side of Manhattan after her.[3]
• Charles Street – Charles Christopher Amos, landowner
• Charlton Street – John Charlton, president of the New York Medical Society
• Christopher Street – Charles Christopher Amos, landowner. Prior to 1799 known as Skinner Road after Col. William Skinner, son-in-law of landowner Adm. Peter Warren
• Colonel Robert Magaw Place – Robert Magaw, a colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War
• Columbus Circle – for the quadcentennial of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus
• Cortlandt Street – for the Cortlandt family, landowners
• Delancey Street – James De Lancey, who served as chief justice, lieutenant governor, and acting colonial governor of the Province of New York, and who owned a farm located in what is now the Lower East Side
• Detective Omar J. Edwards Way – after a police officer killed by friendly fire[4]
• Dyckman Street – named for Dutch farmer William Dyckman, whose family owned over 250 acres (11,000,000 sq ft) of farmland in the area; the Dyckman House, located nearby at the corner of Broadway and 204th Street, was built by William Dyckman in 1784 and is the oldest remaining farmhouse in Manhattan, and many consider it the border between Washington Heights and Inwood.
• Eldridge Street – Lt. Joseph C. Eldridge, killed in the War of 1812
• Forsyth Street – Lt. Col. Benjamin Forsyth
• Fulton Street – Robert Fulton
• Gay Street – possibly "R. Gay," apocryphally to Sidney Howard Gay
• George Balanchine Way – In 1990 a segment of West 63rd Street near the New York State Theatre was renamed George Balanchine Way, after the founder of the New-York City Ballet.
• Great Jones Street – Samuel Jones, "The Father of The New York Bar"
• Greene Street – Nathanael Greene, American Revolutionary War hero
• Henry Street (Manhattan) – Henry Rutgers, American Revolutionary War hero
• Horatio Street – Horatio Gates, American Revolutionary War hero of the Battle of Saratoga
• Houston Street (pronounced /ˈhaʊstən/ HOW-stən) – William Houstoun, Founding Father
• Irving Place – Washington Irving (author) known for his History of New York and short stories like "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
• Jane Street – A Mr. Jaynes, who resided at #81, where Alexander Hamilton is sometimes said to have died
• Jefferson Street (Manhattan) – Thomas Jefferson, 3rd American President
• Peter Jennings Way – Peter Jennings, ABC News anchor
• Juan Pablo Duarte Boulevard (part of Saint Nicholas Avenue) – Juan Pablo Duarte, a founding father of the Dominican Republic
• Lafayette Street – Marquis de Lafayette, a French hero of the American Revolutionary War
• LaGuardia Place – Fiorello LaGuardia, Mayor of New York City
• Lenox Avenue – James Lenox, philanthropist
• Leonard Harper Way – Leonard Harper (producer)
• Leroy Street – Jacob Le Roy & Son, a shipping company and War of 1812 blockade-runner
• Ludlow Street – Augustus Ludlow, War of 1812 naval hero
• MacDougal Street – Alexander McDougall, Revolutionary War hero
• Madison Avenue and Madison Street – James Madison, fourth president of the United States
• Malcolm X Boulevard (co-named with Lenox Avenue) – Malcolm X American human rights activist
• Mercer Street – Hugh Mercer, American Revolutionary War figure
• Monroe Street (Manhattan) – James Monroe, American president
• Morton Street – Jacob Morton, early 19th century militia commander
• Nassau Street – William of Nassau
• North Moore Street – Benjamin Moore (bishop), second Episcopal bishop of New York, president of Columbia University
• Perry Street – Oliver Hazard Perry, naval hero of the War of 1812
• Rivington Street – James Rivington, Revolutionary War-era publisher
• Robert F. Wagner, Sr. Place – Robert F. Wagner, Democratic U.S. Senator from New York, 1927 – 1949
• Rutgers Street – Henry Rutgers, American Revolutionary War hero
• St. Mark's Place
• Saint Nicholas Avenue – Saint Nicholas
• Stanton Street – George Stanton, an associate of landowner James De Lancey
• Stuyvesant Street – Peter Stuyvesant, last governor of New Netherland, who owned the land[5]
• Sullivan Street – John Sullivan, American Revolutionary War general
• Thompson Street – William Thompson, Revolutionary War general
• Tiemann Place – Daniel F. Tiemann, Mayor of New York City from 1858 to 1860
• Vanderbilt Avenue – Vanderbilt family, who owned Grand Central Terminal, the construction of which predicated construction of the road
• Varick Street – Richard Varick, American Revolutionary War figure and Mayor of New York City
• Vesey Street (pronounced VEE-see) – after Rev. William Vesey
• Washington Street – George Washington, first president of the United States
• Wooster Street – David Wooster, American Revolutionary War hero
• Worth Street – William J. Worth

Squares

• Chatham Square – William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, and Prime Minister of Great Britain
• Duffy Square – Chaplain Francis P. Duffy of New York's 69th Infantry Regiment
• Hanover Square – the House of Hanover
• Herald Square – New York Herald
• Lincoln Square – a local landowner
• Madison Square – James Madison, fourth President of the United States
• Margaret Sanger Square – Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood
• Times Square – The New York Times
• Tompkins Square Park – Daniel D. Tompkins (1774–1825), Vice President of the United States
• Verdi Square – Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer
• Washington Square Park – George Washington
• Worth Square – William J. Worth

The Bronx

• Bartow Avenue – Family of John Bartow, a missionary for the Anglican Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in London
• Bainbridge Avenue – William Bainbridge a Commodore in the United States Navy. He is notable for his many victories at sea. He commanded several famous naval ships, including USS Constitution, and saw service in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812.
• Bruckner Boulevard and Bruckner Expressway – Henry Bruckner, politician and longtime borough president
• Corsa Avenue – Family of Andrew Corsa who led 5,000 American and French troops to Morrisania to survey British fortifications
• Deputy Chief Orio J. Palmer Way – Orio Palmer, Battalion Chief of the New York City Fire Department who died while rescuing civilians trapped inside the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001[6]
• Detective Sean Carrington Way – Sean Carrington, a New York City Police Department detective fatally shot in the line of duty in 1998[7]
• DJ Scott La Rock Boulevard – Scott La Rock, a social worker, hip hop DJ, music producer and founding member of Boogie Down Productions fatally shot in 1987[8]
• Donald Byrd Way – Donald Byrd, jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist[9]
• Elias Karmon Way – Elias Karmon, a generous philanthropist and humanitarian to multiple causes in and outside of the Bronx, and owner of multiple businesses in the Bronx since the late 1930s.
• Elmo Hope Way – Jazz Pioneer; for Elmo Hope, pianist, composer and arranger[10][11]
• Emmanuel Mensah Way – Emmanuel Mensah, a National Guardsman who died trying to save four children from an apartment building fire in December 2017[12]
• Hillman Avenue – Sidney Hillman (1887–1946), labor leader
• Hull Ave – Isaac Hull, Commodore in the United States Navy. He commanded several famous U.S. naval warships including USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") and saw service in the undeclared naval Quasi War with the revolutionary French Republic (France) 1796–1800; the Barbary Wars (1801–1805, 1815), with the Barbary states in North Africa; and the War of 1812 (1812–1815), for the second time with Great Britain
• Kalief Browder Way – Kalief Browder, a Bronx teenager who was held in jail at Rikers Island for three years, almost two of which were spent in solitary confinement, awaiting trail on grand larceny charges[13]
• Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz Way – Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, a teenager murdered by gang members in 2018 in a case of mistaken identity[14]
• Major Deegan Expressway – William Francis Deegan, an architect, organizer of the American Legion, major in the Army Corps of Engineers, and Democratic Party political leader in New York City[15]
• Perry Avenue – Oliver Hazard Perry, U.S. Naval officer noted for his heroic role in the War of 1812 during the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie.
• Rivera Avenue – Mariano Rivera, a Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013[16]
• Rose Feiss Boulevard – Rose Feiss, founder of a lampshade manufacturer on what was Walnut Avenue in the Bronx[17]
• Seabury Avenue – Samuel Seabury, first Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal of America
• Seven Brothers Square (located at the corner of Jerome Ave. and Macombs Rd., near the company's headquarters) – Seven Santini Brothers, a moving company
• Sheridan Avenue – Philip Sheridan, American Civil War general[18]
• Southern Boulevard (formerly Theodore Kazimiroff Boulevard) – Theodore Kazimiroff, Bronx historian. Although part of Southern Boulevard was renamed after Kazimiroff in 1980, his name was removed from street signs in 2011 because he was not well known even among many Bronx locals. This was one of the few instances where an eponymous street has reverted to its old name.[19]
• Decatur Ave – Stephen Decatur, U.S. Naval officer, he served under three presidents, and played a major role in the early development of the American navy. In almost every theater of operation, Decatur's service was characterized by acts of heroism and exceptional performance. His service in the Navy took him through both Barbary Wars in North Africa, the Quasi-War with France, and the War of 1812 with Britain.

Many street names in the North East Bronx were named after past mayors and governors of New York City, and a few after former Westchester county officers as the Bronx was at one time part of Westchester County. Below is a partial list of streets named after past New York City Mayors and Governors: Provost Ave., Dereimer Avenue, Mickle Ave., Rombouts Ave., Tiemann Ave., Gunther Ave., Van Cortland Ave., Ludwig Ave. (Charles Lodwik), Peartree Ave., Wilson Ave., Cruger Ave., Heathcote Ave., Lurting Ave., Colden Ave., Hone Ave., Paulding Ave., Radcliffe Ave., Woodhull Ave., Edson Ave., Ely Ave., Grace Ave., Wickham Ave., Morris Ave., Westervelt Ave., Grant Ave.; Governors: Throop Ave., Yates Ave., Fish Ave., Seymour Ave., Hunts Point, Odell Ave., Lehman Pl., Thomas E Dewey Highway

Brooklyn

• Albee Square – named after Edward Franklin Albee II
• Clark Street – named after William Clark
• DeKalb Avenue – named after Johann de Kalb
• Fulton Street – named after Robert Fulton
• Herzl Street – Theodor Herzl
• McGuinness Boulevard – Peter McGuinness
• Vanderbilt Avenue – named after Vanderbilt family

Queens

• Brinckerhoff Avenue – the Brinckerhoff family
• Douglaston Parkway – named for the Douglas family as was the area of Douglaston, Queens
• Francis Lewis Boulevard – Francis Lewis, local resident and signer of the Declaration of Independence
• Parsons Boulevard – named after botanist Samuel Bowne Parsons
• Jackie Robinson Parkway – Jackie Robinson – Major League Baseball player
• Roosevelt Avenue – Theodore Roosevelt[20]
• Sean Bell Way – renamed for the victim of a controversial police-involved shooting, originally named Liverpool Street
• Sergei Dovlatov way, named for Soviet American writer Sergei Dovlatov.
• Steinway Street – named for the makers of the famed Steinway piano. Their factory is located in Astoria, Queens, where this street runs through.
• The Ramones way, named for The Ramones punk band.
• Van Wyck Expressway (formerly Van Wyck Boulevard) – named for Robert Anderson Van Wyck, first mayor of New York City after the consolidation of the five boroughs

Staten Island

• Father Capodanno Boulevard – Vincent R. Capodanno, killed in action in the Vietnam War
• Hylan Boulevard – John F. Hylan, Mayor of New York City
• LaGuardia Avenue – Fiorello LaGuardia, Mayor of New York City
• Detective Russel Timoshenko Way – after a police officer killed in the line of duty

See also

• List of eponymous roads in London
• List of eponymous streets in Metro Manila

References

1. Moscow, Henry (1978). The Street Book: An Encyclopedia of Manhattan's Street Names and Their Origins. New York City, New York: Fordham University Press. ISBN 0-8232-1275-0.
2. "Underground History". The New York Times. April 10, 1987. Retrieved 2010-12-03. ... referring to John Jacob Astor, for whom Astor Place was named and who in the early days of the country was a trader in beaver furs.
3. "NYC’s Catherine Street & Its Italian American Presence" by Alfonso Guerriero, Jr., L'Italo Americano (New York), June 26, 2015
4. "Harlem street renamed Detective Omar J. Edwards Way in honor of slain officer" by Bob Kappstatter, Daily News (New York), May 29, 2011
5. "Stuyvesant Street". Forgotten NY. Retrieved 2010-12-03. Petrus Stuyvesant built this house at 21 Stuyvesant Street in 1803. It was a wedding gift to his daughter Elizabeth, who married Nicholas Fish, a close friend and political ally of Alexander Hamilton. Son Hamilton Fish became New York State governor, senator, and secretary of state. It is now known as the Stuyvesant-Fish House.
6. Gaskell, Stephanie (17 November 2002). "STREET OF HONOR FOR 9/11 HERO". New York Post. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
7. Celona, Larry; Pagones, Stephanie (8 June 2019). "Bronx street renamed in honor of NYPD detective killed in line of duty". New York Post. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
8. Goodstein, Steven (May 28, 2017). "Street renamed for legendary Bronx hip hop icon". Bronx Times. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
9. Cusano, Arthur (September 23, 2017). "Jazz Great Donald Byrd honored at street renaming". Bronx Times. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
10. Burford, Corinna (September 16, 2016) "Celebrating Jazz Legend Elmo Hope on the Block Where He Lived". The Bronx Ink.
11. "Jazz Notes: Hope Way, Green Film, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Sistas'" (September 16, 2016). New York Amsterdam News.
12. Gioino, Catherina; Greene, Leonard (June 14, 2019). "Bronx street renamed for Army hero who died saving family from apartment building fire". New York Daily News. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
13. Watson, Elijah C. (18 July 2017). "Bronx Street Renamed After Kailef Browder On His Birthday". Okayplayer. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
14. Acevedo, Gaby (February 27, 2019). "New York City Street Renamed After Slain Teen in Machete Attack". NBC New York. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
15. Tierney, John (11 March 1999). "The Big City; Where Have You Gone, Major Deegan?". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
16. Hintz, Taylor; Siemaszko, Corky (May 5, 2014). "Street sign honoring former Yankee Mariano Rivera unveiled in the Bronx". New York Daily News. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
17. Bodovitz, Sandra (20 July 1987). "What's in a Street Rename? Disorder". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
18. Walsh, Kevin (2 January 2011). "MORRISANIA, Bronx". Forgotten New York. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
19. Grynbaum, Michael M. (April 12, 2011). "Kazimiroff Boulevard Is Renamed in the Bronx". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
20. Martin Mbugua (August 3, 1999). "Make Tracks to Big Avenue". Daily News. New York. Retrieved 2010-11-30. Created through the amalgamation of several local streets as the elevated tracks were being constructed in the early 1900s, Roosevelt Ave. was named after Theodore Roosevelt, the New York City native and 26th President of the U.S.

Further reading

• New York Songlines: Virtual Walking Tours of Manhattan Streets