Etymology of place names in Los Angeles County, California
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The following is a non-exhaustive list of the etymologies of the place names in Los Angeles, California
A-K
[edit]| 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
[edit]| 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 |
| Workman Street, Lincoln Heights | William H. Workman, Los Angeles mayor |