Name	Origin
Albee Square	During the vaudeville era, Edward Franklin Albee built a large theatre on this site, which in its later life was well known as the "R.K.O. Albee". "Benjamin Franklin Keith and Edward Franklin Albee became partners in the late 1880s to promote "polite" vaudeville. They lavishly remodeled several theaters on the east coast and began producing a brand of "high class" vaudeville. Crude remarks and risqué costumes were censored from performances and they even attempted to prohibit rude behavior by audiences. Keith was the financial head of the circuit, while Albee was the general manager and owner of several theaters. In 1906, Keith and Albee established the United Booking Office. Every act that sought employment at any of the member theaters had to work through this central office, which in turn charged a five percent commission per act. Thus Keith and Albee expanded their power base. In the 1920s the Keith/Albee circuit merged with a western chain of vaudeville theaters to form the Keith-Albee-Orpheum Circuit. In 1928, $4,500,000 worth of stock was sold to Joseph P. Kennedy's Radio Corporation of America (RCA) establishing the Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO). After this merger, motion pictures became the primary form of entertainment, while vaudeville survived only as an accompaniment to the feature film." -- source: Univ of Iowa	Albee Theatre, 1 DeKalb Avenue
Albemarle Road	named after Albemarle Road in the borough of Kensington, London, England. Was originally called Butler Street, and before that, Ausable Avenue.
Bedford Avenue	Bedford Avenue, named for the neighborhood of Bedford Corners (Bedford and Flushing Avenues), is the longest street in Brooklyn. source: Brooklyn By Name
Brooklyn Avenue	Brooklyn is the anglicized form of "Breuckelen", and is most probably named after the municipality of Breukelen, in Utrecht province, in the Netherlands. The (new world) village of Breukelen was founded by Dutch settlers sometime after 1625 as one of five villages on Long Island (which they called Nieuw Amersfoort -- New Amersfoort, Amersfoort being another municipality in the Netherlands), the other villages being Bushwick (founded in 1638), Flatbush (1636), Flatlands (1636), and New Utrecht (1657). A sixth, Gravesend (1643 or 1645) by an Englishwoman named Lady Deborah Moody. The British captured the Dutch territory in 1664 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, and when the British combined the six villages into one County (Kings County), under the British flag, the Dutch residents began "anglicizing" many place names and family names -- that is, changing or translating the names into English.
Bainbridge Street	Commodore William Bainbridge (1789-1833) was the Commodore of the U.S.S. Constitution (also known as "Old Ironsides") during the War of 1812. He commanded the ship through what may have been the most intense surface fight in naval history, a two-hour hard fought battle against the frigate Java. from the US Navy Historical Library: "Shortly after Christmas, 1812, Constitution was sailing in the Atlantic just off the coast of Brazil. On the morning of 29 December, sails were sighted on the horizon, and Constitution's new captain, William Bainbridge, altered course to investigate. The ship proved to be HMS Java, a frigate similar to Guerriere. Both frigates stood for each other and cleared their decks for action. The defeat of Java, the second frigate lost to Constitution in six months, motivated a change in the tactics of the Royal Navy. No longer would their frigates be allowed to engage American frigates like Constitution alone. Only British ships-of-the-line or squadrons were permitted to come close enough to these ships to attack." The bad news back to British Admiralty was delivered by Java's first lieutenant : It is with deep regret that I write you for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that His Majesty's Ship Java is no more, after sustaining an action on the 29th Inst for several hours with the American Frigate Constitution which resulted in the Capture and ultimate destruction of His Majestys Ship. Captain Lambert being dangerously wounded in the height of the Action, the melancholy task of writing the detail devolves on me.... -- Source: US Navy	Commodore William Bainbridge, 1789-1833
Bath Beach	The neighborhood of Bath Beach is named after the town of Bath, England, home to famous Roman baths founded there when the Romans found hot springs in the area in the 1st century, A.D.
Bensonhurst	Named after Egbert Benson (1746-1833), New York's first Attorney General after the Revolutionary War.
Boerum Hill	Born in New Lots, the family of Simon Boerum (1724-1775) had a family farm in the area during the 18th Century. Simon Boerum served as county cleark for 25 years, a member of the New York General Assembly between 1761 and 1775, and was a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1774 and 1775. He died at his home in Brooklyn Ferry in July, 1775.
Bridge Street	Was originally planned to be site for bridge to Manhattan
Cadman Plaza	Named for Reverend Dr. Samuel Parkes Cadman (1864-1936), Pastor of Brooklyn's Central Congregational Church, who was the first person to broadcast a nation-wide religious radio program in the United States.
Canarsie Road	This was the "road to Canarsie," an early settlement in the town of Flatlands, and named after Canarsie Indians who lived in the area.
Church Avenue	The main road to Flatbush Reformed Church at the center of the original Dutch town of Flatbush, founded in 1636.
Carroll Street	Named after Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence (and the only Roman-Catholic to sign the Declaration) biographical sketch from the US History.org website
Coney Island Avenue	For many years, this was the main road --a plank road no less -- to Coney Island. Although there are many theories of the origin of the name "Coney", probably the most popular is that it is supposedly an anglicized version of the Dutch word meaning "rabbit", "konijn" -- perhaps after the multitude of rabbits on the island. Other theories are that it was named after "Conyn," a Dutch surname, OR after a small island near Sligo, Ireland, with a very similar size.
Cooper Street	Bushwick resident Hannah Cooper once owned the land through which this street was cut.
DUMBO	Not a street name, an acronymm for the neighborhood located Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.
Duffield Street	According to forgotten-ny.com, Duffield Street was named after surgeon John Duffield, who lived in Brooklyn Village during the Revolutionary War era.
Erskine Street	Named for Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Carl Erskine
East New York Avenue	In 1835, John R. Pitkin bought a large plot of land as a speculative venture, and named it "East New York" thinking that this would become the eastern edge of New York City. His plan failed due to an economic depression in 1837, but the name stuck. Pitkin Avenue also runs through the neighborhood.
Farragut Road	Named after Admiral David Glasgow Farragut (1801-1870), who fought in the war of 1812 and also for the Union during the Civil War, where he commanded the fleet that took New Orleans (1862) and Mobile Bay (1864), for which actions he was awarded the rank of Admiral, the first person in the U.S. Navy to hold that rank. Farragut is probably best remembered for saying "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!"
Force Tube Avenue	Marks the path of high-pressure water lines that once ran between a water pumping station on Atlantic Avenue at Conduit Blvd and the Ridgewood Reservoir on the heights behind Highland Park. The Ridgewood Reservior operated between November 18, 1858 and 1959. Between 1959 and 1989, the reservoir was used during summertime as a backup water supply for parts of Brooklyn and Queens. In 2004 the City announced plans to turn the reservoir into parkland.
Fort Greene Place	Revolutionary War General Nathaniel Greene supervised the building of fortifications for this area. more info
Fulton Street	One of the oldest streets in Brooklyn, it began as an Indian path, later becoming the main "road to the ferry," the "Road to Jamaica." and after the inception of the Fulton Ferry service, "Fulton Street." The street has undergone still further change: in 1967 the western end was renamed "Cadman Plaza West" after Reverend Dr. Samuel Parkes Cadman (see "Cadman Plaza" above); most recently the stretch nearest the East River has been renamed "Old Fulton Street." "Fulton", of course, comes from Robert Fulton, who is often credited with inventing the Steamboat in 1807 (it was actually first conceived and patented by John Fitch in 1785-1787, but Fitch's venture failed due to a lack of financial backing). Fulton, along with Robert R. Livingston, held a state-ordered monopoly on the operation of steam-powered boats on New York waterways for 17 years (see Livingston Street, below).	Fulton's first steamship, the Clermont, shown circa 1892-1899
Garden Place	This was the site of the country home garden of Philip Livingston, one of New York's 4 signers of the Declaration of Independence, and a prominent New York City merchant and alderman. Philip Livingston was the fifth son of Philip Livingston, second lord of Livingston Manor, of Scotch descent, and Catherine Van Brugh, of Dutch lineage. He was born in 1716 at his father's townhouse in Albany, New York, and spent most of his childhood there or at the family manor at Linlithgo, about 30 miles to the south. Upon receiving a degree from Yale in 1737, he entered the import business in New York, New York. Three years later, he married Christina Ten Broeck and moved into a townhouse on Duke Street in Manhattan; he was to sire five sons and four daughters. As time went on, he built up a fortune, particularly as a trader-privateer during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). In 1764, though retaining hi Duke Street home, he acquired a 40-acre estate on Brooklyn Heights overlooking the East River and New York Harbor. It was at Philip Livingston's residence in Brooklyn Heights, that General George Washington held the council of war that decided to retreat from Long Island in 1776.	Philip Livingston (1716-1778)
Gates Avenue	Horatio Gates (1727-1806) was an American general during the Revolutionary War. In October, 1777, troops under the command of Gates defeated British troops under the command of General John Burgoyne at Saratoga, New York (the Second Battle of Saratoga). Under the terms of surrender (the Convention of Saratoga), Burgoyne's army was to be sent back to England, and for each soldier to pledge not to serve again in the war against the colonies. 5800 British, Hessian, and Canadian prisoners were marched from Saratoga to Boston. The Continental Congress asked General Burgoyne to write a descriptive list of the officers in custody, in order to prevent them from returning to the battlefield. Burgoyne refused, and Congress suspended the terms of the Convention of Saratoga. The prisoners were subsequently marched 700 miles to the south, to Charlottesville, Virginia in November of 1778, and arriving in January 1779 (they were subsquently relocated again, to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where those who survived the forced marches and camp fevers remained until their release in 1783. Following the war, Gates moved to New York City (1790) and served in the State Legislature (1800) prior to his death in 1806.	Horatio Gates (1727-1806)
Granville Payne (Pennsylvania Ave)	Thanks to Elizabeth Harvey from the Brooklyn Public Library, we finally have an answer to this one: "Pennsylvania Avenue was renamed for Granville Payne, Jazz musician and community activist, Dec. 7, 1985 by local law #12 (NYC Administrative Code)."
Michael Griffith Street	Pacific Street between Albany and Ralph Avenues had the additional name "Michael Griffith Street" added to it on November 22, 1999, by executive order of Mayor Giuliani, in remembrance of Trinidad-Tobago native Michael Griffith. On the night of December 20, 1986, Michael Griffith, along with three friends, drove to a construction site to pick up their paychecks. On the way back to Brooklyn, their car broke down on Cross Bay Boulevard near a pizzeria, which they then entered to eat. When the three men left the eatery, an angry crowd, armed with baseball bats confronted them and chased them toward Shore Parkway where Michael Griffith was hit by a car and killed instantly. He was 23 years old.
Hancock Street	American statesmen John Hancock was the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Java Street	Originally "J" Street (not to be confused with "Jay Street"), this Greenpoint street may have been renamed in to refer to cargo that was often unloaded from the ships along the waterfront.
Jay Street	John Jay was the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Joralemon Street	Named after Teunis Joralemon a prominent attorney and Kings County judge. Joralemon Street cuts through land that was originally part of Philip Livingston's 40-acre Brooklyn farm, which Livingston purchased in 1764; Joralemon purchased a portion of that land in 1803. Other prominent land owners in the area were the Pierrepontt and Middagh families.
Archibald C. Ketchum Square	Archibald C. Ketchum was an inventor, who (circa 1853) invented a new type of railroad car wheel which was easy to maintain, its parts being replaceable in a modular fashion. He also invented an improved tea kettle (1859).
Kosciusko Street	Thaddeus Kosciusko (1746-1817) was a Polish patriot who served the American cause during the Revolutionary War.	Thaddeus Kosciusko (1746-1817)
Kossuth Place	Lajos (Louis) Kossuth (1802-1894) was a Hungarian statesman and patriot., and was known as the "Father of Hungarian Democracy ". After the Hungarian Parliament dethroned the Habsburg dynasty in 1849, Kossuth was elected Governor of the country. That prompted the Russian Czar to dispatch 300,000 soldiers to help his imperial brother, Francis Joseph. Kossuth was exiled from the country, and visited the United States in 1851, where he was the first foreigner since Lafayette to address a combined session of Congress. He died, still in exile, in Italy in 1894. more info	Lajos Kossuth (1802-1894)
Lexington Avenue	This street commemorates the Revolutionary War's Battle of Lexington.
Liberty Avenue	Said that this thoroughfare was known as "the liberty road" because it was free to farmers travelling over it.
Livingston Street	The Livingston family was one of the most prominent in early America (and in Scotland before that -- Mary Livingston was Lady in Waiting to Mary, Queen of Scots). Robert Livingston (1654-1725) immigrated to North America in 1673. Philip Livingston (1716-1778) was one of four delegates from New York who signed the Declaration of Independence. His cousin Robert R. Livingston (1747-1813) helped write the Declaration, but was in New York at the time of the signing, and thus his signature does not appear on the document. In 1789, Robert R. Livingston administered the Presidential Oath of Office to George Washington. In 1807 Robert R. Livingston, along with Robert Fulton, secured a monopoly for "navigating all boats that might be propelled by steam, on all waters within the territory, or jurisdiction of the State, for the term of twenty years." It took until 1824 to break the monopoly, and the court case that did so, Ogden v. Gibbons, was a landmark case establishing the power of the Federal government under the Constitution (and pitted another famous New York name, Cornelius Vanderbilit, against Fulton and Livingston).
Love Lane	May have received it's name from the many admirers of Miss Sarah DeBevoise, who lived here with her uncles Robert and John.
Marcy Avenue	Captain William Learned Marcy (1786-1857) served in the War of 1812, and later became a U.S. Senator, Governor of New York State, Secretary of War, and Secretary of State. See some additional biograpical information on the US Army website.	Captain William Learned Marcy (1786-1857)
Mermaid Avenue	Along with Neptune Ave., Mermaid Ave. is a reminder of the seaside romance of Coney Island. Every summer sees the return of the Mermaid Parade to Coney Island, heralding the start of summer (actually it takes place on the first Saturday after the Summer Soltice).
Montague Street	Lady Mary Wortley Montague (1689-1762) was a cousin of the Pierrepont family, through whose property this street was cut. Lady Montague is perhaps best remembered for bringing the concept of inoculation against smallpox to the attention of the British public. While in Instanbul in 1718 she decided to have her three year old son inoculated to protect him from the smallpox disease, which was a common practice used by the Turks to protect against the disease. Upon her return to England, she helped popularize the practice in England.	Lady Mary Wortley Montague (1689-1762)
Mother Gaston Boulevard	Rosetta "Mother" Gaston (born 1885, died 1981), was a community activist "who devoted her life to community work and teaching Black children about their heritage. She founded "Heritage House" for the young and old of the Brownsville community, located on the third floor of the Stone Avenue Branch" of the Brooklyn Public Library, Brownsville branch. Source: Brooklyn Public Library
Myrtle Avenue	Myrtle Avenue was named for myrtle bushes that were found in the area.
Red Hook Lane	During the 1760's, this was the major road that ran through the (then) center of Brooklyn, through Dutch farms, and on to Red Hook. During the Revolutionary War, it was a key route for the Continental Army, and a place where riflemen would position themselves to attack the British Army. In August 1776, George Washington watched the fighting at Gowanus from here, during the Battle of Brooklyn. source: NY Times, May 10, 2004
Remsen Street	Named after Joris Remsen, who was born around 1680 and married Sarah Polhemus.
Pineapple Street	According to the WPA Guide to New York City, An amusing story is associated with the naming of Cranberry, Pineapple, Orange, Poplar, and Willow Streets, directly west of the Brooklyn Bridge. In the decade before the Civil War these streets bore the names of prominent local families. This fact aroused the ire of a Miss Middagh, a determined member of the Brooklyn aristocracy, who vented her dislike of some of her neighbors by tearing down the street signs bearing their names and substituting placards with botanical titles. When the original signs were replaced by the city authorities, she again changed them. This continued until an aldermanic resolution accepted her signs as official. A Heights street retains, however, Miss Middagh's own family name. Miss Middagh was probably a descendent of Aert Theuniszen Middagh who emigrated to New Amsterdam in 1652.
Sumner Avenue	Charles Sumner (1811-1874) was a senator from Massachusetts who was an advocate of emancipation. If you've ever heard the famous story about the Caning in the Senate, Sumner was the recipient of the caning. From the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery: "Charles Sumner became the junior senator from Massachusetts in December 1851, after a bitter struggle against Boston's formidable Whig establishment, led by Daniel Webster. Sumner drew support from a coalition of Democrats and Free-Soilers who opposed slavery and the compromise measures that Webster had long endorsed. In the Senate, in 1855, Sumner's eloquent speech, "The Crime Against Kansas," compared South Carolina Senator Andrew P. Butler to Don Quixote, whose mistress, "though polluted in the sight of the world, is chaste in his sight. I mean the harlot, slavery." Two days later, Butler's nephew, South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks, entered the Senate chamber and beat Sumner unconscious. Though Sumner remained an invalid for three years, his constituents reelected him by a large margin. After Lincoln's victory in 1860, Massachusetts politicians still sought to avoid war, but Sumner resisted every compromise measure. In the Senate, he was head of the Foreign Policy Committee, and worked to legislate equal rights for people of color. By the end of the war, he and Lincoln were recognized as the two most influential men in public life. Sumner posed for Brady around 1860, at the height of his power and celebrity.	Charles Sumner (1811-1874)
Walker Avenue	Named after Dodgers catcher Abe "Rube" Walker
Willoughby Street	According to forgotten-ny.com, Willoughby Street was named after Samuel Willoughby who lived during the colonial era, and who married into the Duffield family (see above)