List of Hudson County, New Jersey placename etymologies facts for kids
This article explores the interesting stories behind the names of places in Hudson County, New Jersey. You'll learn where towns, rivers, and streets got their names, from ancient Native American words to names honoring important people and historical events.
Contents
Towns and Cities
Hudson County is home to many towns and cities, called municipalities. Each one has a unique name, and some even have nicknames!
- Bayonne (Bynne)
- Jersey City (JC)
- Hoboken (Hbkn)
- Union City (UC)
- West New York (WNY)
- Guttenberg (Gtbg)
- Secaucus (Sec)
- Kearny (Kearny)
- Harrison (Har'sn)
- East Newark (EN)
- North Bergen (NB)
- Weehawken (Whkn)
Native American Names
The Lenape people were the first inhabitants of this region. They spoke an Algonquian language. Many of the names we use today come from their words, often changed a bit by the Dutch and English settlers who came later.
Place Name | Location | Meaning | What it refers to | Examples Today |
---|---|---|---|---|
Caven Point | JC | peninsula | A piece of land surrounded by water on three sides. | Road |
Communipaw | JC | big landing-place from the other side of the river | This area was a major landing spot on the Upper New York Bay before land was filled in. | Terminal, Station, Avenue |
Hackensack | JC, Sec, Whkn | place of stony ground | Named after the Hackensack (Native Americans) tribe and the rocky land they lived on. | River, Plank Road |
Harsimus | JC | sea marsh or sea grass | This was a salty marsh area along the Hudson River before it was filled in. | Cove |
Hoboken | Hob | place of stone for pipes | Named for a type of rock found here, used to make smoking pipes. | Terminal, Cemetery |
Manhattan | UC | island of many hills | This name was recorded in 1609 by Henry Hudson's crew. | |
Pamrapo | JC, Bay | rock | Refers to a natural break in Bergen Hill where a canal was later built. | Station, Avenue |
Passaic | water that flows through the valley | |||
Secaucus | Sec | black snakes | This name comes from the Lenape words for "black" and "snake." | Road |
Weehawken | Whkn | at the end of | Refers to where the Hudson Palisades (cliffs) end at King's Bluff. | Cove, Cemetery |
Dutch Influence on Names
The New Netherlanders, who were Dutch settlers, arrived in the early 1600s. They set up trading posts and villages, leaving their mark on many place names.
Place Name | Location | Meaning | What it refers to | Examples Today |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bergen | County-wide | hills or mountain ridge | Describes the hilly land of Bergen Hill. It could also mean a safe, walled village. | Square, Point, Bergenline |
Constable Hook | Bynne | constable's cape | Named after Jacob Jacobsen Roy, a chief gunner (constable) at Fort Amsterdam. A "hoek" is a cape or peninsula. | |
Cromakill Creek | Sec, NB | crooked creek | This creek forms a border between Secaucus and North Bergen. | |
Paulus Hook | JC | Paulus's cape | Named after Micheal Paulus, who ran a ferry and trading post here. | |
Pavonia | JC, Bynne | peacock (in Latin) | Named after Michael Reyniersz Pauw, a Dutch landowner. It was common for educated men to use Latin names. | PATH Station, HBLR Station |
Kill van Kull | Bynne | channel from the ridge | A "kill" is a water channel, and "col" means a mountain pass or ridge. | |
North River | This is the name for the Hudson River between Hudson County and Manhattan. It was called "North" because it flowed north from the main harbor. | Tunnels | ||
Robbins Reef | Bynne | seal's reef | Seals used to rest on this reef at low tide. | |
Suydam | JC | south dam | This area was once part of the village of Communipaw. | Street |
Names Honoring People and Events
Many places in Hudson County are named after important people, families, or historical events. These names help us remember the past.
Place Name | Location | Named After | Why it was named |
---|---|---|---|
Barrow Street | JC | Dr William Barrow | An important resident of the area in the early 1800s. |
Bartholdi Avenue | JC | Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi | The French artist who designed the Statue of Liberty. |
Bedloe's Island | JC | Issac Bedloo | The original name of Liberty Island. |
Bentley Avenue | JC | Peter Bentley, Sr. | The fifth Mayor of Jersey City. |
Bloomfield Avenue | Hbkn | Joseph Bloomfield | He served twice as Governor of New Jersey. |
Bonn Place | Whkn | John H. Bonn | He founded the North Hudson County Railway. |
Boyle Plaza | JC | John F. Boyle | A director of the commission that built the Holland Tunnel. |
James J. Braddock Park | NB | James J. Braddock | A World heavyweight boxing champion. |
Burr Place | Whkn | Aaron Burr | The third Vice President of the United States. |
Bulls Ferry | NB, WNY | Bull family | A family who operated a ferry service in the 1700s. |
Clinton Street | Hbkn | De Witt Clinton | |
Colden Street | JC | Cadwallader D. Colden | A Mayor of New York and president of the Morris Canal Company. |
Coles Street | JC | John B. Coles | A New York State Senator who helped plan a public park in Jersey City. |
Colgate Street | JC | William Colgate | His company, Colgate-Palmolive, had a factory in the area for a long time. |
Celia Cruz Plaza | UC | Celia Cruz | A famous singer and performer. |
Curries Woods | JC, Bynne | James Currie | An early settler and important citizen of Greenville. |
Pietro di Donato Square | UC | Pietro di Donato | An Italian-American writer. |
Dixon Mills | JC | Joseph Dixon | An inventor and manufacturer. |
Ellis Island | JC | Samuel Ellis | A merchant who once owned the island. |
Fulton | Whkn, JC | Robert Fulton | He started the world's first steamboat ferry service in 1812. |
Gangemi Drive | JC | Thomas Gangemi | The 35th Mayor of Jersey City. |
Garfield Avenue Station | JC | James A. Garfield | The 20th President of the United States. |
Gates Avenue | JC | Horatio Gates | A British soldier who became an American general in the American Revolutionary War. |
Greene Street | JC | Nathanael Greene | A major general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. |
J. Owen Grundy Park | JC | J. Owen Grundy | A city historian and writer. |
Hamilton | Whkn, JC | Alexander Hamilton | A Founding Father and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury. |
Harrison | William Henry Harrison | The ninth President of the United States. | |
Holland Tunnel | JC | Clifford Milburn Holland | The first chief engineer for the tunnel project, who passed away before it was finished. |
Hudson | County-wide | Hudson River for Henry Hudson | A sea-captain and explorer who explored the river in 1609. |
Arthur Imperatore Drive | NB | Arthur Edward Imperatore, Sr. | A trucking business owner who founded the New York Waterway. |
Journal Square | JC | Jersey Journal | A newspaper that has its main office in the square. |
Jeanette Street | UC | Joe Jeanette | An African-American heavyweight boxer. |
Johnston | Bynne, JC | John Taylor Johnston | President of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. |
Town of Kearny | Kearny | Philip Kearny | A general during the American Civil War. |
Kennedy Boulevard | Bynne, JC, North Hudson | John F. Kennedy | The 35th President of the United States. |
King Avenue | Whkn | James Gore King | A Congressman from New Jersey. |
Lafayette Park | JC | Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette | A French general who helped the Continental Army during the American Revolution. |
McAdoo Avenue | JC | William McAdoo | A Congressman and New York City Police Commissioner. |
Manischewitz Plaza | JC | Manischewitz | A company that built its factory at this location in 1932. |
Martin Luther King Drive | JC | Martin Luther King Jr. | A clergyman, activist, and important leader in the Civil Rights Movement. |
Marin Boulevard | JC, Hbkn | Luis Muñoz Marín | A Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. |
Mercer Street | JC | Hugh Mercer | A Brigadier General in the Continental Army. |
Merseles Street | JC | Jacob M. Merseles | He founded the Bergen Point Plank Road Company. |
Monastery Place | UC | Monastery and Church of Saint Michael the Archangel | |
Montgomery Street | JC | Richard Montgomery | A Brigadier General in the Continental Army. |
Nungessers | NB | Family Nungesser | The Nungesser family owned a racetrack in the area. |
Ogden Avenue | JC | Aaron Ogden | The fifth Governor of New Jersey. |
Paulus Hook | JC | Micheal Paulez | An agent for the Dutch landowner Micheal Pauw. |
Pavonia | JC, Bynne | Micheal Pauw | The landowner of the first European settlement in the area. |
Pershing | Whkn, JC | John J. Pershing | A General of the Armies during World War I. |
Peter Street | UC | William Peter | He founded Peter's Brewery. |
Prior Street | JC | John Prior | He owned Prior's Mill in Jersey City in the 1700s. |
Pulaski Skyway | JC, Kearny | Kazimierz Pułaski | A Polish general who fought in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. |
Ristaino Drive | JC | John Ristaino | A candle and furniture-maker, champion speed-skater, and Korean War veteran. |
Frank E. Rodgers Blvd. | Har'sn | Frank E. Rodgers | He was the Mayor of Harrison for 48 years! |
Roosevelt | JC, UC | Franklin D. Roosevelt | The 32nd President of the United States. |
Schuyler Avenue | Kearny | Arent Schuyler | An early settler who developed mines in the region. |
Shippen Street | Whkn | William W. Shippen | President of the Hoboken Land and Improvement Company. |
Sinatra Drive | Hbkn | Frank Sinatra | A famous actor and entertainer from Hoboken. |
Steuben Street | JC | Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben | A Prussian officer who served as an inspector general for the Continental Army. |
Sterling Avenue | Whkn | Lord Stirling | William Alexander, an American general in the Revolutionary War. |
Tonnelle Avenue | JC, NB | John Tonnele | An early settler to Hudson City. |
Teurs Avenue | JC | Jane Teurs | She helped stop Benedict Arnold's plan to sell West Point to the British during the American Revolution. |
Van Vorst Park | JC | Van Vorst family | Early settlers to Pavonia, New Netherland, including Cornelius Van Vorst, the 12th Mayor of Jersey City. |
Van Wagenen Avenue | JC | Van Wagenen family | Early settlers to Bergen, New Netherland. |
Varick Street | JC | Richard Varick | A Mayor of New York City and one of the founders of Jersey City. |
Warren Street | JC | Joseph Warren | A member of the Sons of Liberty and a major general in the Continental Army. |
Wayne Street | JC | Anthony Wayne | A Revolutionary War brigadier general. |
Westervelt | JC | Westervelt family | Early settlers to Bergen, New Netherland, including Jacob Aaron Westervelt, a ship builder and Mayor of New York City. |
Wittpenn Bridge | JC, Kearny | H. Otto Wittpenn | The 28th Mayor of Jersey City. |
Wright Street | JC | Edwin R. V. Wright | A Congressman and Mayor of Hudson City. |
Audrey Zapp Drive | JC | Audrey Zapp | An environmentalist who helped develop Liberty State Park. |
See Also
- Toponymy of Bergen, New Netherland
- List of New Jersey county name etymologies