This is a list of place name etymologies in San Francisco, California.
| width=20% | Place | width=30% | Namesake | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Named for a cottonwood tree (alamo in Spanish) that grew on Alamo Hill. | ||||
| Alvarado Street | ||||
| Ambrose Bierce Alley | Formerly Aldrich Alley, named for Mark Aldrich; renamed in 1988. | |||
| Anza Street | ||||
| Arguello Boulevard | ||||
| 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.[1] | |||
| Baker Street | 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 | ||||
| Bartlett Street | 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 | ||||
| Bennington Street | ||||
| José Cornelio Bernal | In 1839, José Cornelio Bernal (1796–1842) was given a land grant to Rancho Rincon de las Salinas y Potrero Viejo, part of which comprised present-day Bernal Heights. | |||
| Bernal Heights Boulevard | José Cornelio Bernal | See Bernal Heights. | ||
| Bernice Street | May have been named for a prostitute who worked in the alley.[2] | |||
| Birch Street | Several Hayes Valley streets are named for plants and trees.[3] | |||
| 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 | ||||
| Bradford Street | Bradford Street is one of two streets in Bernal Heights named for Pilgrim Fathers; the other is Brewster Street.[4] | |||
| Brannan Street | ||||
| Brenham Place | ||||
| Brewster Street | Brewster Street is one of two streets in Bernal Heights named for Pilgrim Fathers; the other is Bradford Street. | |||
| Broderick Street | ||||
| Bryant Street | ||||
| Buchanan Street | It had been assumed that Buchanan Street was named after James Buchanan, the President of the United States who took office in March 1857. However, an 1856 map was found to have also included the street name. It is probable then that the street was actually named for the local pioneer John C. Buchanan. | |||
| Burnett Avenue | ||||
| Bush Street | J.P. Bush | May have been named after a cabin boy J. P. Bush who was an assistant to city mapper, Jasper O'Farrell. At least twice, "Bush" street signs along the 2.6-mile stretch were vandalized to honor a political opponent of a Republican named Bush. Days before the 1988 election, dozens of signs were covered with "Dukakis" stickers.[5] 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.[6] A man was charged in the 1988 incident, and San Francisco city officials stressed the cost of removing the stickers in the 2009 incident.
| ||
| Cabrillo Street | ||||
| 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.[7] | ||
| 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. | ||||
| 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.)[8] | ||||
| Chattanooga Street | ||||
| Chenery Street | Richard Chenery | Chenery was a gold rush pioneer | ||
| Clark Street | ||||
| Cole Street | ||||
| Coleman Street | ||||
| Colin P Kelly Junior Street | ||||
| Cora Street | Charles Cora | Cora, a gambler and consort of prostitutes, was lynched by vigilantes in 1856. | ||
| Davidson Street | ||||
| Davis Street | ||||
| De Haro Street | First alcalde (mayor) of Yerba Buena (now San Francisco) | |||
| Dirk Dirksen Place | Formerly Rowland Street (renamed in 2009)[9] | |||
| From the Spanish | In Spanish, divisadero means a point from which one can look far. The Spanish name for Lone Mountain was El Divisadero. | |||
| Dolores Street | Also named after the creek that used to run through the Mission, Arroyo de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, or "Our Lady of Sorrows Creek." | |||
| Duboce Park | Duboce (1856–1900) was a member of the Board of Supervisors and a colonel in the Spanish–American War.[10] | |||
| 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. | ||
| Elizabeth Street | Elizabeth Horner | Wife of John Meirs Horner, owner of Horner's Addition, the original name of Noe Valley. | ||
| Embarcadero Plaza | Formerly Justin Herman Plaza, named for Justin Herman, who headed the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency from 1959 to 1971. In the 1960s, Herman's urban renewal policies displaced many African-Americans in San Francisco's Western Addition. The name was changed in 2017.[11] | |||
| Evans Avenue | ||||
| Fair Oaks Street | ||||
| Fallon Place | ||||
| Farnsworth Lane | ||||
| 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.[12] | ||
| Fella Place | May have been named for the madame of a brothel located in the alley. | |||
| Flood Avenue | James C. Flood | |||
| Folsom Street | ||||
| Franklin Street | ||||
| Fremont Street | ||||
| Frida Kahlo Way | Formerly Phelan Avenue, named for James D. Phelan. Citing racism on the part of Phelan's son, James Duval Phelan, the name was changed in 2018.[13] | |||
| Fulton Street | ||||
| Funston Avenue | Funston Avenue, between 12th and 14th Avenue, should be 13th Avenue, but the number 13 is considered bad luck. | |||
| Gene Friend Way | Gene Friend was a long-time San Francisco public servant.[14] | |||
| 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. | ||||
| Gough Street | Charles H. Gough | Gough, a milkman, was one of three aldermen appointed in 1855 to lay out and name the streets of the Western Addition.[15] | ||
| Grant Avenue | Formerly called Calle De La Fundacion and Dupont Street for Samuel Francis Du Pont. | |||
| Green Street | Green (real name Paul Geddes, an embezzler) was a pioneer, city councilman, treasurer of the Society of California Pioneers, and mayoral candidate.[16] | |||
| Guerrero Street | Former alcalde (mayor) of Yerba Buena (now San Francisco) | |||
| Weltha Ann Buell Haight | Haight managed the San Francisco Protestant Orphan Asylum on Haight Street near Market Street.[17] | |||
| Harding Road | ||||
| Harriet Street | May have been named for a prostitute who worked in the alley. | |||
| Harrison Street | Edward H. Harrison | Harrison, a lawyer, was a quartermaster's clerk for the First New York volunteers and collector of the port. | ||
| Hayes Street | Thomas Hayes | Hayes was a county clerk from 1853 to 1856; he started the first Market Street Railway franchise. | ||
| Hayes Valley | Thomas Hayes | |||
| Hickory Street | Several Hayes Valley streets are named for plants and trees. | |||
| Howard Street | ||||
| Hyde Street | George Hyde | Hyde was the mayor of San Francisco in 1847–1848. | ||
| Ina Coolbrith Park | ||||
| Ingalls Street | ||||
| From a Salinan word, slay or islay, a type of wild cherry. | ||||
| Irving Street | ||||
| Isadora Duncan Lane | ||||
| Ivy Street | Several Hayes Valley streets are named for plants and trees. | |||
| Formerly Adler Place (renamed in 1988) | ||||
| Jack Micheline Alley | Formerly Pardee Alley (renamed in 2003) | |||
| Jackson Street | ||||
| Jefferson Street | ||||
| Jerrold Avenue | ||||
| Jersey Street | Named for the state where John Meirs Horner, owner of Horner's Addition, the original name of Noe Valley, was born. | |||
| Jessie Street | Jessie Benton Fremont | Jessie Benton Fremont was the wife of John Charles Fremont. | ||
| John F. Shelley Drive | ||||
| John Muir Drive | ||||
| 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 | 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 | ||||
| Judah Street | ||||
| The street is not named for Denis Kearney. | ||||
| Keyes Avenue | ||||
| Kezar Drive | Mary Kezar | Kezar donated $100,000 to the San Francisco Park Commission in 1922 and funded the construction of Kezar Stadium. | ||
| Mary Kezar | See Kezar Drive. | |||
| King Street | ||||
| Starr King Way | 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.[18] | ||
| Laguna Honda Boulevard | Laguna honda means "deep lagoon" in Spanish. | |||
| Laguna Honda Reservoir | ||||
| Lane Street | ||||
| Lapham Way | ||||
| Lapu Lapu Street | ||||
| Larkin Street | ||||
| Laussat Street | ||||
| Lawton Street | ||||
| Leavenworth Street | Thaddeus M. Leavenworth | Leavenworth was mayor from October 1848 to August 1849. | ||
| Le Conte Avenue | ||||
| Lech Walesa Street | Formerly part of Ivy Street, it carried the name from 1986 to 2014.[19] | |||
| Leese Street | ||||
| Leidesdorff Street | 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.[20] | |||
| Lendrum Street | John Lendrum | Lendrum was commander of the Presidio in 1858 and Fort Point in 1861. | ||
| Liggett Avenue | ||||
| Linares Avenue | Ygnacio Antonio Linares | Linares was a member of Juan Bautista de Anza's 1775–1776 expedition to Alta California. | ||
| Lincoln Boulevard | ||||
| Lincoln Court | ||||
| Lincoln Way | ||||
| Linden Street | Several Hayes Valley streets are named for plants and trees. | |||
| Lombard Street in Philadelphia | Also said to be named for Lombard banking. | |||
| Lover's Lane | 1806 love affair | Named for the doomed romance of Maria de la Concepcion Arguello, granddaughter of José Darío Argüello, and Nicolai Petrovich Rezanov, chamberlain to the czar of Russia. | ||
| Lyon Street | ||||
| Lundy's Lane | ||||
| Named after the Maiden Lane in London or New York. | ||||
| Main Street | Charles Main | Main (1817–1906) was a wealthy ship chandler and harnessmaker.[21] | ||
| 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.[22] | ||
| Mason Street | ||||
| McAllister Street | ||||
| Named for Mission Dolores. | ||||
| Montcalm Street | ||||
| Moraga Street | ||||
| Moultrie Street | ||||
| Nelson Rising Way | ||||
| Noe Street | The last Mexican alcalde (mayor) of Yerba Buena (now San Francisco) | |||
| Noriega Street | Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule | |||
| Octavia Gough | Sister of Charles H. Gough for whom Gough Street is named. See Gough Street.[23] | |||
| O'Farrell Street | ||||
| Ortega Street | ||||
| O'Shaughnessy Boulevard | ||||
| Otis Street | ||||
| Pacheco Street | Owner of the Rancho Monte del Diablo in the East Bay. | |||
| Palou Avenue | ||||
| Patterson Street | William Patterson | Pioneer floriculturist; Golden Acre Nursery established 1885 on Bernal Heights | ||
| Pierce Street | ||||
| 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. | |||
| Polk Street | ||||
| Portola Avenue | ||||
| Potrero Avenue | From the Spanish potrero | In Spanish, potrero means "pasture." The Potrero comprised grazing land for common use. | ||
| Dr. William J. Powell | Powell was a surgeon of the U. S. sloop of war Warren, which was active during the conquest of California. | |||
| Precita Avenue | Precita Creek[24] | |||
| 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.[25] | |||
| Rivera Street | Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule | |||
| Rizal Street | ||||
| Rolph Street | ||||
| Rose Street | Several Hayes Valley streets are named for plants and trees. | |||
| Sanchez Street | Family of José Antonio Sanchez[26] | |||
| Sansome Street | ||||
| Scott Street | ||||
| Selby Street | ||||
| Shafter Avenue | ||||
| Sheridan Street | ||||
| Shotwell Street | J.M. Shotwell | Shotwell was a cashier at Alsop & Co.’s Bank, secretary of the Merchant's Exchange, and treasurer of the San Francisco Homestead Union. | ||
| Shrader Street. | A.J. Shrader | Shrader was a city supervisor from 1865 to 1873. | ||
| Simonds Loop | ||||
| Sloat Boulevard | ||||
| Spear Street | ||||
| Charles H. Stanyan | Stanyan was a city supervisor from 1866 to 1869. | |||
| Steiner Street | L. Steiner | Steiner was a waterman (water deliverer). | ||
| Steuart Street | Born Stewart, changed his last name to Steuart upon arriving in San Francisco in 1850. | |||
| Stevenson Street | ||||
| Sutter Street | ||||
| Taraval Street | ||||
| Taylor Street | ||||
| Terry A Francois Boulevard | ||||
| Thomas Avenue | General Thomas was stationed in the Presidio in 1869. | |||
| Tom Waddell Street | Formerly part of Ivy Street, it was renamed in 2014. | |||
| Tonquin Street | ||||
| Townsend Street | Dr. John Townsend | Townsend was a physician in early San Francisco; he practiced in the city for 66 years.[27] | ||
| Treat Avenue | Treat (1819–1907) was an early farmer in the Mission District, businessman, abolitionist, and horse racing enthusiast.[28] | |||
| Turk Street | ||||
| Ulloa Street | ||||
| So named because it was used for rallies in support of the Union Army during the American Civil War. | ||||
| Valencia Street | Owner of the Rancho Acalanes which is now Lafayette, California. | |||
| Vallejo Street | ||||
| Via Ferlinghetti | Formerly Price Row, renamed in 1994. | |||
| Vicente Street | ||||
| Vicksburg Street | ||||
| Waller Street | Mrs. R.H. Waller | Waller managed the San Francisco Protestant Orphan Asylum on Haight Street near Market Street. | ||
| Washington Street | ||||
| Wawona Street | ||||
| Webb Street | ||||
| Webster Street | ||||
| Winfield Street | Originally called Chapultepec Street. | |||
| Woodward Street | Robert B. Woodward | Woodward was proprietor of Woodward's Gardens.[29] | ||
| Yerba buena ("good herb" in Spanish) can refer to several aromatic plants, including mint; it was San Francisco's original name. | ||||
| Yorba Street | ||||
| Zampa Lane |