Skip to Content
Bel-Air

LA Place Name Etymologies ~ LA History

1:17 PM PDT on March 24, 2011

Photo: Busway from Brooklyn Avenue looking Northeast by Metro Library Archive.

Place NameSource
Abbot Kinney BoulevardAbbot Kinney, founder of Venice, California
Aliso StreetNamed after the Aliso, the old sycamore that stood at the entrance of Jean-Louis Vignes' winery
Alvarado StreetJuan Bautista Alvarado, Mexican Governor of Alta California
Baldwin Hills neighborhoodE. J. "Lucky" Baldwin, mining and real estate investor
Beaudry AvenuePrudent Beaudry, Los Angeles mayor
Bel-Air neighborhoodAlphonzo E. Bell, Sr., owner of the "Buenos Aires Ranch"
La Brea AvenueLa Brea, the Spanish name for the oil fields near present-day Hancock Park, meaning tar
Brooklyn AvenueAfter 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
César E. Chávez AvenueCésar Chávez Mexican-American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist
La Cienega BoulevardRancho Las Cienegas, a rancho in a low-lying area west of Los Angeles, from the Spanish term cienaga, meaning marsh or bog
Crenshaw neighborhood
Crenshaw Boulevard
George Crenshaw, banker and real estate developer
Los Feliz neighborhood
Los Feliz Boulevard
Rancho Los Feliz, originally granted to José Vincente Feliz
Figueroa Avenue
Figueroa Street
José Figueroa, Mexican Governor of Alta California
Glassell Park neighborhoodAndrew Glassell real estate lawyer and owner
Griffith Park and Griffith ObservatoryGriffith J. Griffith, Welsh-American industrialist and philanthropist
Huntington DriveHenry E. Huntington, railroad magnate and business man
Lankershim BoulevardIsaac B. Lankershim
Leimert ParkWalter H. "Tim" Leimert
Micheltorena StreetManuel Micheltorena, Mexican Governor of Alta California
Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Highway
William Mulholland, water-services pioneer in Southern California
Olvera StreetAugustín Olvera, early Los Angeles judge
Olympic BoulevardNamed as part of the L.A.'s failed bid for the 1928 Summer Olympics
Pico BoulevardPío Pico, last Mexican Governor of Alta California
Rosecrans AvenueWilliam 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 AvenueJ. S. Slauson, land developer
Tarzana neighborhoodTarzana 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
Van Nuys neighborhood
Van Nuys Boulevard
Isaac Newton Van Nuys, businessman, banker and real estate developer
Vignes StreetJean Louis Vignes, French settler in Los Angeles who planted European grapes
Watts neighborhoodC. H. Watts, real estate developer
Wilmington neighborhoodWilmington, Delaware, birthplace of founder Phineas Banning
Wilshire BoulevardH. Gaylord Wilshire, land developer, publisher and outspoken socialist
Workman Street, Lincoln HeightsWilliam H. Workman, Los Angeles mayor

More Stories

Sunday Taquitos #35: The A.I. Bubble Bursts

Sunday Taquitos! Art by Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ivan Ehlers.

October 18, 2026

Why Are So Many Restaurants Using A.I. for Menus Now?

I already miss the era of gloriously sticky menus, coated with years of grease and who knows what else, and a menu behind the counter with pixelated photos, overexposed plates, low-quality clipart, and typos galore.

October 16, 2026

Our 12 Favorite Menudos in L.A., Mapped

Rich, fatty, earthy, savory, and slightly spicy broth. There’s always a memory tied to menudo: nights of partying and needing that hot broth to bring you back to life; your parents making it for the holidays; or years-long family traditions. These are some of our favorites.

These Are Some of the Wildest Behind-the-Scenes Stories From Stones Throw Records

Peanut Butter Wolf revealed rare lore about recording with MF Doom, Lee Scratch Perry, and J Dilla, beating the indie label odds for 30 years now.

October 15, 2026

A Completely Interactive Guide To L.A. Voter Guides

We've compiled the endorsements of 13 different progressive organizations, including advocacy groups, local media outlets, progressive politicians, and unions, in one interactive page to help you decide who to vote for.

October 14, 2026

These Activists Drive Around the Country to Let You Know It’s Still Legal to Mail-Order Abortion Pills In All 50 States

They stopped in front of LACMA and in East Hollywood over the weekend to share that you can still order Plan B pills by mail, even in the 13 states that have completely banned abortion.

October 14, 2026