List of San Francisco placename etymologies

This is a list of place name etymologies in San Francisco, California.

Place names

{|class="wikitable"

! width=20% | Place

! width=30% | Namesake

! Notes

| Alamo Square || || Named for a cottonwood tree (alamo in Spanish) that grew on Alamo Hill.

| Alemany Boulevard || Joseph Sadoc Alemany || The Alemany Maze is also named for Alemany.

| Alvarado Street || Juan Bautista Alvarado ||

| Ambrose Bierce Alley || Ambrose Bierce || Formerly Aldrich Alley, named for Mark Aldrich; renamed in 1988.

| Anza Street || Juan Bautista de Anza ||

| Arguello Boulevard || José Darío Argüello ||

| Ashbury Street || Munroe Ashbury || Ashbury was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1864 to 1870.

| Baker Beach|| || The John Henry Baker family, dairy farmers.

| Baker Street || Edward Dickinson Baker || San Francisco's Baker Street, extending from Haight Street at Buena Vista Park, past the Palace of Fine Arts to the marina within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area at Marina Boulevard, is named after Baker.

| Balance Street || Storeship called "The Balance" || The Balance was captured during the War of 1812 and arrived in San Francisco in 1849, where she served as a storeship docked at the intersection of Front and Jackson. She was broken apart and buried at the end of Pacific Wharf which is now Balance Street

| Balboa Street || Vasco Núñez de Balboa ||

| Bartlett Street || Washington Allon Bartlett || Bartlett was the first alcalde (mayor) of San Francisco and is sometimes confused with Governor Washington Montgomery Bartlett, the city's twentieth mayor

| Beale Street || Edward Fitzgerald Beale ||

| Bennington Street || Battle of Bennington

| Birch Street || The Birch tree || Several Hayes Valley streets are named for plants and trees.

| Bluxome Street || Isaac Bluxome Jr. || Bluxome led troops against the Hounds in 1849; he served as Secretary of the Vigilante Committees of 1851 and 1856.

| Bonifacio Street || Andrés Bonifacio ||

| Bradford Street || William Bradford || Bradford Street is one of two streets in Bernal Heights named for Pilgrim Fathers; the other is Brewster Street.

| Brannan Street || Samuel Brannan ||

| Brenham Place || Charles James Brenham ||

| Brewster Street || William Brewster || Brewster Street is one of two streets in Bernal Heights named for Pilgrim Fathers; the other is Bradford Street. After the 2009 inauguration following the 2008 election, vandals covered signs throughout the street's length with "Obama" stickers; some signs were also vandalized shortly after Obama's victory. A man was charged in the 1988 incident, and San Francisco city officials stressed the cost of removing the stickers in the 2009 incident.

Per a 1918 San Francisco Chronicle article, Bush Street is named after a physician, Jonathan Platt Bush (J.P. Bush). [https://www.newspapers.com/article/san-francisco-chronicle-sf-street-names/134020173/]

| Cabrillo Street || Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo ||

| California Street || State of California ||

| Capp Street || C.S. Capp || Capp was secretary of the San Francisco Homestead Union, the first homestead association in San Francisco. The street runs through the lands of the association.

| Carl Larsen Park || ||Carl Gustave Larsen (1844–1928), Danish immigrant immigrant who donated the land for the park.

| Castro Street || José Castro ||A Californio leader of Mexican opposition to U.S. rule in California in the 19th century, and alcalde (mayor) of Alta California from 1835 to 1836.

| Cesar Chavez Street || César Chávez || Until 1995, it was named "Army Street." (It was so named because it terminated at the Army Pier in the Bay. Twenty-Sixth Street was formerly called Navy Street because it terminated at the Navy Pier.)

| Chattanooga Street || Battle of Chattanooga ||

| Chenery Street || Richard Chenery || Chenery was a gold rush pioneer

| Clark Street || William S. Clark ||

| Cole Street || Cornelius Cole ||

| Coleman Street || William T. Coleman ||

| Colin P Kelly Junior Street || Colin Kelly ||

| Cora Street || Charles Cora || Cora, a gambler and consort of prostitutes, was lynched by vigilantes in 1856.

| Divisadero Street || From the Spanish || In Spanish, divisadero means a point from which one can look far. The Spanish name for Lone Mountain was El Divisadero.

| Duboce Street || Victor Donglain Duboce || See Duboce Park (called Ridley Street prior to 1900).

| Duncan Street || Chapman Duncan || Duncan was a Mormon acquaintance of John M. Horner, the founder of Noe Valley (as Horner's addition), who gave Duncan Street its name.

| Eddy Street || William M. Eddy || Eddy was City Surveyor in 1850. He completed the survey of the city between Larkin and Ninth streets and the bay.

| Evans Avenue || Robley D. Evans ||

| Fair Oaks Street|| Battle of Fair Oaks ||

| Fallon Place || Thomas Fallon ||

| Farnsworth Lane || Philo Farnsworth ||

| Fell Street || William Fell || Fell was a Danish immigrant who came to San Francisco in 1849. He was a merchant and member of the Society of California Pioneers.

| Fella Place || || May have been named for the madame of a brothel located in the alley.

| Fulton Street || Robert Fulton ||

| Funston Avenue|| Frederick Funston || Funston Avenue, between 12th and 14th Avenue, should be 13th Avenue, but the number 13 is considered bad luck. In 1960, Geary Street between Van Ness and Presidio Aves was also renamed Geary Boulevard. || John W. Geary ||

| Gellert Drive || || Carl and Fred Gellert, owners of the Standard Building Company that developed Lakeshore Park

| Gene Friend Way || || Gene Friend was a long-time San Francisco public servant.

| Glen Park || Glen Canyon Park ||

| Golden Gate || Golden Gate in Constantinople || John C. Fremont named the Golden Gate after one of the Walls of Constantinople. The Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Ave. take their names from the Golden Gate.

| Grant Avenue || Ulysses S. Grant || Formerly called Calle De La Fundacion

| Guerrero Street || Francisco Guerrero || Former alcalde (mayor) of Yerba Buena (now San Francisco)

| Haight Street || Weltha Ann Buell Haight ||Haight managed the San Francisco Protestant Orphan Asylum on Haight Street near Market Street.

| Harding Road || Warren G. Harding ||

| Harriet Street || || May have been named for a prostitute who worked in the alley.

| Jersey Street || New Jersey || Named for the state where John Meirs Horner, owner of Horner's Addition, the original name of Noe Valley, was born

| John F. Shelley Drive || John F. Shelley ||

| John Muir Drive || John Muir ||

| Jones Street || Elbert P. Jones || Jones was editor of the California Star and secretary of the town council.

| Joost Avenue|| Behrend Joost || Joost built the first electric railway going south from downtown San Francisco.

| José Sarria Court || José Sarria || An honorary section of 16th Street in the Castro neighborhood, José Sarria was an early gay and transgender rights pioneer in San Francisco.

| Juan Bautista Circle || Juan Bautista de Anza ||

| Judah Street || Theodore Judah ||

| Junipero Serra Boulevard || Junipero Serra ||

| Kearny Street || Stephen W. Kearny || The street is not named for Denis Kearney.

| Keyes Avenue || Erasmus D. Keyes ||

| Kezar Drive || Mary Kezar || Kezar donated $100,000 to the San Francisco Park Commission in 1922 and funded the construction of Kezar Stadium.

| Kezar Stadium || Mary Kezar || See Kezar Drive.

| King Street || Thomas Butler King ||

| Starr King Way || Thomas Starr King || Thomas Starr King was a minister credited with preventing California from becoming a separate republic during the Civil War.

| Kirkham Street || General Ralph W. Kirkham || Kirkham was a hero of the Mexican–American War.

| Laguna Street || Washerwoman's Lagoon || Named for a lagoon located at the intersection of Greenwich and Gough Streets.

| Laguna Honda Boulevard|| || Laguna honda means "deep lagoon" in Spanish.

| Laguna Honda Reservoir || Laguna Honda Reservoir ||

| Lane Street || Levi Cooper Lane ||

| Lapham Way || Roger Lapham ||

| Lapu Lapu Street || Lapulapu ||

| Larkin Street || Thomas Larkin ||

| Larsen Peak || || Carl Gustave Larsen (1844–1928), Danish immigrant immigrant who donated the land for Golden Gate Heights Park, where Larsen Peak is located.

| Laussat Street || Pierre Clément de Laussat ||

| Lawton Street || Henry Ware Lawton ||

| Leavenworth Street || Thaddeus M. Leavenworth || Leavenworth was mayor from October 1848 to August 1849.

| Le Conte Avenue || John Le Conte ||

| Lech Walesa Street || Lech Wałęsa || Formerly part of Ivy Street, it carried the name from 1986 to 2014.

| Leese Street || Jacob P. Leese ||

| Leidesdorff Street || William Leidesdorff ||

Leidesdorff was biracial U.S. citizens in California of Carib, Danish and Jewish ancestry and a successful enterprising businessman. 1845 he was President of the San Francisco school board and also elected as City Treasurer.

The part of the street between Pine and California was formerly called Pauper's Alley.

| Lendrum Street || John Lendrum || Lendrum was commander of the Presidio in 1858 and Fort Point in 1861.

| Liggett Avenue || Hunter Liggett ||

| Linares Avenue || Ygnacio Antonio Linares || Linares was a member of Juan Bautista de Anza's 1775–1776 expedition to Alta California.

| Lincoln Boulevard || Abraham Lincoln ||

| Lincoln Court || Abraham Lincoln ||

| Lincoln Way|| Abraham Lincoln ||

| Linden Street || The Linden tree || Several Hayes Valley streets are named for plants and trees.

| Market Street || || Named by surveyor Jasper O'Farrell after Market Street in Philadelphia.

| Martin Avenue || Martin Ron || Ron was a land surveyor. The street was named in 2016.

| Mason Street || Richard Barnes Mason ||

| McAllister Street || Matthew Hall McAllister ||

| Mission Street || || Named for Mission Dolores.

| Montcalm Street || Louis-Joseph de Montcalm ||

| Montgomery Street || John B. Montgomery ||

| Moraga Street || José Joaquín Moraga ||

| Moultrie Street || William Moultrie ||

| Mount Sutro || Adolph Sutro ||Local real estate tycoon, later the 24th mayor of San Francisco.

| Nelson Rising Way || Nelson Rising ||

| Noe Street || José de Jesús Noé || The last Mexican alcalde (mayor) of Yerba Buena (now San Francisco)

| Noriega Street || José de la Guerra y Noriega || Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule

| Octavia Street || Octavia Gough || Sister of Charles H. Gough for whom Gough Street is named. See Gough Street.

| O'Farrell Street || Jasper O'Farrell ||

| Ortega Street || José Francisco Ortega ||

| O'Shaughnessy Boulevard || Michael O'Shaughnessy ||

| Otis Street || James Otis ||

| Pacheco Street || Salvio Pacheco || Owner of the Rancho Monte del Diablo in the East Bay.

| Palou Avenue || Francisco Palóu ||

|Patterson Street

|William Patterson

|Pioneer floriculturist; Golden Acre Nursery established 1885 on Bernal Heights

| Pierce Street || Franklin Pierce ||

| Point Lobos Avenue || || Lobo means "wolf" in Spanish. Spanish explorers named Point Lobos after the barking of sea lions, which sounded to them like wolves. ||

| Ramona Avenue || Ramona, the novel ||

| Reservoir Street || || Named for a reservoir formerly located at Church and Market Streets, the location of Reservoir Street. Water for the reservoir came from a spring behind Sutro Reservoir, the headwaters of Laguna Honda.

| Rivera Street || Fernando Rivera y Moncada || Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule

| Rizal Street || José Rizal ||

| Rolph Street || James Rolph ||

| Rose Street || The rose || Several Hayes Valley streets are named for plants and trees.

| Sansome Street || Sansom Street in Philadelphia

| Treat Avenue || George Treat || Treat (1819–1907) was an early farmer in the Mission District, businessman, abolitionist, and horse racing enthusiast.

| Turk Street || Frank Turk ||

| Ulloa Street || Antonio de Ulloa ||

| Union Square || || So named because it was used for rallies in support of the Union Army during the American Civil War.

| Valencia Street || Candelario Valencia || Owner of the Rancho Acalanes which is now Lafayette, California.

| Vallejo Street || Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo ||

| Van Ness Avenue || James Van Ness ||

| Via Ferlinghetti|| Lawrence Ferlinghetti || Formerly Price Row, renamed in 1994.

| Vicente Street || Vicente Yáñez Pinzón ||

| Vicksburg Street || Siege of Vicksburg ||

| Waller Street || Mrs. R.H. Waller || Waller managed the San Francisco Protestant Orphan Asylum on Haight Street near Market Street.

| Yerba Buena Gardens || || Yerba buena ("good herb" in Spanish) was the name the Spanish missionaries gave to the local wild mint species Clinopodium douglasii. It was the name of the anchorage at Yerba Buena Cove and San Francisco's first civilian town, which grew into the modern city, located at the cove.

List of San Francisco placename etymologies

Place names

See also

Further reading

Notes

External links

References