London has many strange and unusual names attributed to it's streets, districts and boroughs. 

Some place names are elemental, as they originate from certain famous individuals who will never be forgotten, such as Queen Victoria or her husband Albert. 

Other names come from prominent historical events such as the famous battles at Waterloo or Trafalgar.

Some names originated from businesses which were prominant in a certain area, such as Sugar Quay or after a certain local landmark such as Park Lane. 

Other London placenames have derived from Royal family names ,saints, landed gentry, local benefactors, statesmen or an area's topography.

Many British placenames have certain similarities that denote a particular area or landmark, these are defined by certain placename suffixes, the meanings of which are -  

wyc / wich / wick - farm / settlement. 

ham - hamlet or village. 

ton - town. 

don / dun - hill / highground. 

bourne/ born - river. 

ford - river crossing. 

sea / sey - a landing area on water, a pier, quay or berth.

well - site of a well.

ley / lea - situated on the leeward side or sheltered side of an area.

The name preceeding these suffixes, would most probably have been that of a tribal or village elder,manorial baron or pertained to an area's industry.  

 Most of London's placenames have originated from the Roman, Anglo Saxon or Old English languages, with few native Celtic names still in existence.

Below are 38 London street or place names that I have found the origins of. 

ACTON. 

Acton is an Anglo Saxon name meaning ' farm by the oaks'. 

ALDWYCH. 

Aldwych situated on the border of the City of London and the City of Westminster is an Old English name which means old settlement ( auld / wyc ).The name refers to an Anglo Saxon village which was once situated there.

BATTERSEA.

This south London area was originally an island with an Anglo Saxon settlement, known as Badrices Island.

BILLINGSGATE. 

Billingsgate, site of London's famous fish market, was named after a 12th century water gate over the River Thames which was once situated there, called Blynes Gate.

Blynes Gate was named in honour of former King of the Britons, Belinus or King Belin.

BIRD CAGE WALK.

Bird Cage Walk in the City of Westminster is named after King James I's Royal Menagerie and Avery which he had built there.

CHELSEA.

The London Borough of Chelsea's name comes from the Anglo Saxon cealc hyo, which means chalk wharf.This would mean that there was once a wharf on the river here, that was used for the shipment of chalk in or out of the city.

CHISWICK.

This west London district gets it's name from an annual cheese fair held in the town during the 17th and 18th centuries. The name Chiswick is Old English for Cheese Farm.

COVENT GARDEN. 

Covent Garden in London's West End is actually a mis - spelling of the word Convent, after a former convent which was on the site was pulled down in order to build the famous market there. Town planners wanted the convent to be remembered, but apparantly the sign maker missed out the N and the area has been called Covent ever since.

DOWNING STREET. 

Downing Street is probably the most famous street in all of London, even the UK, as it is the home of the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The street got it's name from Irish statesman and diplomat Sir George Downing, who built the street in the 1680's.

ELEPHANT AND CASTLE.

The area known as Elephant and Castle is named after a former Coaching Inn which was located in the area during the 1760's.

The site of the coaching inn was previously occupied by a cutler, whose Company of Cutlers coat of arms, showed an elephant with a castle on it's back. 

HOLBORN. 

Holborn's name derives from the two words hol, which means hollow or valley and bourne which means river, which would mean the area was once the site of the river which ran through the valley. 

In this case the river is the River Fleet, which now runs underground.  

KENSINGTON.

The London Borough of Kensington's name comes from the Anglo Saxon Kenesignetun, which means lands of Kenesigne, but who Kenesigne was, no one seems to know,.

KNIGHTBRIDGE.

Knightsbridge, home to Britian's most iconic department store, Harrod's, got it's name from a 12th century bridge which once spanned the now undergound river, Westbourne.

It was on the Knights Bridge in 1141 that Norman Queen Matilda, was first introduced to her English subjects, before being robbed of her short lived title by her cousin Stephen of Bloise.

LAMBETH.

Lambeth is an Old English name which means Lamb's berth, which would mean that there was once a landing place on the river here, which was used for shipping lambs in or out of the city. 

LONDON. 

The name London was originally only attributed to the City of London. The city was called Londinium by the Romans as far back as the year 121,although historians believe that the settlement was known by a previous Celtic name long before the Romans renamed it.

MAIDA VALE. 

This west London residential area was named after The Maida Pub which once stood in the area. The pub got it's name from a battle which saw British Expeditionary forces lead a British victory against the French at The Battle of Maida in Italy, in July 1806.

MAYFAIR. 

This classy London district received it's name after the annual, two week long, May Fair which used to be held in the area from 1686 until 1764.

OLD BAILEY. 

Old Bailey in the City of London, famous for being home to the Central Criminal Court, is named after the old city walls of London which once ran along the street, which were called a bailey.

PALL MALL.

Pall Mall, the street that runs parralel to The Mall in the City of Westminster, received it's title from a popular ball and mallet game once played during the 16th and 17th century.

The game was called Paille - Maille and was the precursor to modern day croquet. 

The name comes from the Latin Palla Malleus  palla - ball / malleus -  mallet 

PATERNOSTER SQUARE. 

Paternoster Square in the City of London, home of the United Kingdom's Stock Exchange which is situated next to St Paul's Cathedral, aquired it's name from St Paul himself.

Pater Noster is Latin for Our Father, and the Our Father in question is St Paul, who is the Patron Saint of the City of London.

PICADILLY. 

Picadilly in London's West End is symbolic of London's Theatreland.

The area received it's very strange name from a 16th century stiff, high collar which was manufactured and sold in the area, called a picadill.

PIMLICO. 

Pimlico situated in the classy area around Mayfair and Knightsbridge in the City of Westminster, was once known as Five Fields and was situated in the Manor of Ebury.

According to the 17th century actor, Ben Johnson, Pimlico derived it's name from a Ben Pimlico, purveyor of fine ales, whose Hoxton ale house and garden was reached by way of a path from Five Fields known as the Pimlico Path.

As the area around Five Fields grew up and the pasture land that gave the area it's name disappeared, the name of the path was shortened to Pimlico and the area has been known by that name ever since.

PORTOBELLO ROAD. 

The Portobello Road in London's Notting Hill got it's name from a failed British naval action against the Spanish in 1726, when the British tried to blockade the Port of Porto Bello in Panama, from the invading forces of the Spanish Navy.

REGENT'S. 

There are many areas of London with the prefix Regent's.The Regent in question was Prince George who went on to become King George IV from 1820 - 1830.

The Prince Regent spent many years running the country in place of his father, King George III, who was ill with mental illness.

During his time as regent the prince instigated the building of many London landmarks, leading to the historical era of time now known as the The Regency Period.

SCOTLAND YARD.

This world famous area of London which is home of the Metropolitan Police HQ, is so named as it was built especially for the use of visiting diplomats and royalty from the Kingdom of Scotland.

ST MARY AXE. 

St Mary Axe is a street in the City of London which is home to the famous building known as the Gherkin.

The street was named after the church of St Mary and a pub called the Axe, which were both once situated there.

SHEPHERD'S BUSH. 

Shepherd's Bush in West London was once all common land and was used by shepherd's as a resting place for their sheep on their way to market.

SOHO. 

Before Soho became synonomous with the West End's sex industry, the area was pasture land, used by farmers in Tudor times for grazing their animals.

Apparantly the word soho, was a word used by farmers as a rallying call to fetch up their animals, most probably cows when it was time for milking.

SPITALFIELDS 

Spitalfield's, home of London's famous East End market, is a name taken from Hospital Fields, which pertained to the grounds of the 12th century New Hospital of St Mary Without, which was located in the Bishopsgate area of the London Borough of Whitechapel.

STOKE NEWINGTON.

This north London district was named after a Saxon settlement which was first recorded in the area around 1068, originally called New Town in the Woods.

THE STRAND. 

The Strand is in London's Theatreland and is home to many of London's famous theatres.

The word strand is Old English for beach and the area was probably named after the sandy embankment of the River Thames which was situated there. The River Thames was much wider in the 1300's than it is today and would have definately reached up to the point of where The Strand is today.

THREADNEEDLE STREET. 

Threadneedle Street located in the City of London and home to the Bank of England, proably got it's name from a needle making business which was once located on the street.

The name most probably means three needles, which was the picture that used to appear on advertising boards of needle makers at the time.

This name would have been given to the street during the 1600's as the name of the street before that had been a very vulgar term for a sex act, named so because the area was once the haunt of local prostitutes.

TOTTENHAM.

This west London area takes it's name from a local farmer called Tota, whose land it once was.Totten - Tota's,  Ham - Hamlet. Tota's Hamlet was originally recorded in the Doomsday Book of 1087.

VAUXHALL.

This south London town gets it's name from a former large house which stood there, which belonged to Faulkes de Breaute, leader of King John's mercenary army.

The house was called Faulkes' Hall leading to Vaulks Hall, then Vauxhall.

WHITE CITY. 

White City is in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and is famous for being home to the BBC recording studios.

Up until the early 1900's the area had just been common, pasture land.

In 1908 the area was chosen to host the Franco - British Exhibition and the exhibition halls were built with white marble.

After the 1909 Summer Olympic Games, which were also hosted there, as the area had never been named before, town planners decided to call the area after Londoner's pet name for the area, White City.

WHITEHALL. 

Whitehall in the City of Westminster is home to many of the British Government's official ministerial departments.

The street was named after the former Palace of Whitehall, which was situated along the street at the site of where the Banqueting Hall is now, which was the official royal residence of the British Monarchy from 1530 until it was destroyed by fire in 1698.

WESTMINSTER. 

The name Westminster pertains to the area which surrounds Westminster Abbey, which was originally a monastic church founded in 624 by Melitus, Bishop of London, which was known at the time as the West Minster.The point of the compass pertain to the area looking from St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London.

WIMBLEDON.

Wimbledon, home of the All England Lawn Tennis Club,is an Old English name which means Wynnman's Hill, although It is unclear who Wynnman actually is. 

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