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Etymology of place names in Los Angeles County, California
The following is a non-exhaustive list of the etymologies of the place names in Los Angeles, California
A-K
| Place Name |
Source
|
| Abbot Kinney Boulevard |
Abbot Kinney, founder of Venice, California
|
| Aliso Street |
Named after the aliso, the old sycamore that stood at the entrance of Jean-Louis Vignes' winery
|
| Alvarado Street |
Juan Bautista Alvarado, Mexican Governor of Alta California
|
| Baldwin Hills neighborhood |
E. J. "Lucky" Baldwin, mining and real estate investor
|
| Beaudry Avenue |
Prudent Beaudry, Los Angeles mayor
|
| Bel-Air neighborhood |
Alphonzo E. Bell, Sr., owner of the "Buenos Aires Ranch"
|
| Brooklyn Avenue |
After Brooklyn, New York, in honor of the many Jewish Americans living in Boyle Heights at the time
|
Cahuenga Boulevard
Cahuenga Pass |
Cahuenga, the Spanish name for the Tongva village of Kawengna, meaning place of the mountain[1]
|
| César E. Chávez Avenue |
César Chávez Mexican-American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist[1]
|
Crenshaw neighborhood
Crenshaw Boulevard |
George Crenshaw, banker and real estate developer
|
Figueroa Avenue
Figueroa Street |
José Figueroa, Mexican Governor of Alta California
|
| Glassell Park neighborhood |
Andrew Glassell real estate lawyer and owner
|
| Griffith Park and Griffith Observatory |
Griffith J. Griffith, Welsh-American industrialist and philanthropist
|
| Huntington Drive |
Henry E. Huntington, railroad magnate and business man
|
L-Z
| Place Name |
Source
|
| La Brea Avenue |
La Brea, the Spanish name for the oil fields near present-day Hancock Park, meaning tar
|
| Lankershim Boulevard |
Isaac B. Lankershim, German-American landowner
|
| Leimert Park |
Walter H. "Tim" Leimert[1]
|
Los Feliz neighborhood
Los Feliz Boulevard |
Rancho Los Feliz, originally granted to José Vincente Feliz[1]
|
| Micheltorena Street |
Manuel Micheltorena, Mexican Governor of Alta California[1]
|
Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Highway |
William Mulholland, water-services pioneer in Southern California
|
| Olvera Street |
Augustín Olvera, early Los Angeles judge
|
| Olympic Boulevard |
Formerly 10th Street; First referred to as Olympic Blvd in 1931 in honor of X Olympiad in 1932 (name change official in 1935) [2]
|
| Pico Boulevard |
Pío Pico, last Mexican Governor of Alta California
|
| Rosecrans Avenue |
William Rosecrans, Civil War general and owner of Rancho San Pedro
|
Sepulveda Boulevard
Sepulveda Pass |
Sepúlveda family
|
Sherman Oaks neighborhood
Sherman Way |
Moses Sherman, land developer and streetcar line owner
|
Silver Lake neighborhood
Silver Lake Boulevard
Silver Lake Reservoir |
Herman Silver
|
| Slauson Avenue |
J. S. Slauson, land developer
|
| Tarzana neighborhood |
Tarzana Ranch, owned by the creator of Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs
|
Tujunga neighborhood
Tujunga Avenue |
From the Tongva term Tuyunga, meaning mountain range
from tu'xuu = old woman tu'xuunga = place of the old woman[1]
|
Van Nuys neighborhood
Van Nuys Boulevard |
Isaac Newton Van Nuys, businessman, banker and real estate developer[1]
|
| Vignes Street |
Jean Louis Vignes, French settler in Los Angeles who planted European grapes
|
| Watts neighborhood |
Charles H. Watts, real estate developer
|
| Wilmington neighborhood |
Wilmington, Delaware, birthplace of founder Phineas Banning
|
| Wilshire Boulevard |
Gaylord Wilshire, land developer, publisher and outspoken socialist
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| Workman Street, Lincoln Heights |
William H. Workman, Los Angeles mayor
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References
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