In this article we will delve into the fascinating world of Street names of the City of London, a topic that has captured the attention of experts and the curious alike. Street names of the City of London is a topic that has generated interest in various spheres, from politics to science, including popular culture and history. Over the years, Street names of the City of London has been the subject of debate and analysis, and its importance and relevance has continued to grow. In this article, we will dive into the different facets of Street names of the City of London, exploring its impact on society and its evolution over time.
Etymology of London street names
This is a list of the etymology of street names in the City of London.
Addle Hill – from an Old English word for prince (athling)
Addle Street – from an Old English word for filth/dung, presumably descriptive, though also may be the same etymology as Addle Hill above
Alban Highwalk and St Albans Court – after the adjacent St Alban, Wood Street church, of which only the tower now remains
Albion Place (off London Wall)
Albion Way
Aldermanbury and Aldermanbury Square – the site of a burgh (enclosed settlement) of a Saxon-era alderman
Alderman's Walk – formerly Dashwood's Walk, for Francis Dashwood, who lived here in the 18th century; it was changed when he became an alderman
Aldersgate Court and Aldersgate Street – the name Aldersgate is first recorded around 1000 in the form Ealdredesgate, i.e. 'gate associated with a man named Ealdrād'. The gate, constructed by the Romans in the 2nd or 3rd centuries when London Wall was constructed, probably acquired its name in the late Saxon period
Aldgate, Aldgate Avenue and Aldgate High Street – thought to be an alteration of Old Gate; others think it stems from Ale Gate (after a local inn) or All Gate (as it was open to all)
Baltic Street West – the streets here were built by a timber merchant circa 1810 who named them after trade-related activities; Baltic refers to the Baltic softwood trade
Barbon Alley – after Nicholas Barbon, 17th-century economist
Barley Mow Passage – after a former inn here of this name, possibly by reference to alcohol, or else a corruption of the nearby St Bartholomew's church and hospital
Barnard's Inn – named after Lionel Barnard, owner of a town house (or 'inn') here in the mid-15th century
Bartholomew Close and Bartholomew Place – after St Bartholomew's Priory, which stood here and is remembered in the names of the local hospital and two churches
Bartlett Court, Bartlett Street and Bartletts Passage – after Thomas Bartlett, court printer to Edward VI, who owned property here
Basinghall Avenue and Basinghall Street – thought to be after land owned here by the people of Basa or Basing (in Old Basing, Hampshire), or possibly after a mansion house of the Bassing (or Basing) family, who were prominent in the City beginning in the 13th century
Bassishaw Highwalk – after the Bassishaw ward in which it is located
Bastion Highwalk – presumably after the adjacent Roman bastion ruins
Bear Alley – thought to be after a former inn of this name
Beech Gardens and Beech Street – after beech trees which formerly stood here; the name is an old one, recorded as Bechestrete in the 13th century
Beehive Passage – after a former tavern here of this name
Bengal Court – presumably after the former British colony of Bengal
Bell Court
Bell Inn Yard – after a former inn of this name
Bell Wharf Lane – unknown, possibly after a former tavern of this name; formerly Emperor's Head Lane, after an inn here
Ben Jonson Place – after Ben Jonson, 17th-century playwright and poet
Bevis Marks – corruption of Bury Marks, after a former house on this site given to Bury St Edmunds Abbey in the 1100s; mark is thought to note a boundary here
Billiter Court and Billiter Street – after former belzeter (bell foundry) located here
Birchin Lane – unknown, though suggested to come from the Old Englishbeord-ceorfere ('beard carver' i.e. a barber's); it has had several variations on this name in the past, including Berchervere, Berchenes and Birchen
Bishop's Court
Bishopsgate, Bishopsgate Arcade and Bishopsgate Churchyard – after one of the city gates that formerly stood here, thought to commemorate Saint Earconwald, Bishop of London in the 7th century
Blackfriars Bridge, Blackfriars Court, Blackfriars Lane, Blackfriars Passage and Blackfriars Underpass – after the former Dominican (or Black friars, after their robes) friary that stood here 1276–1538
Bow Churchyard and Bow Lane – after the adjacent St Mary-le-Bow church; it was formerly known as Hosier Lane (after the local stocking making trade), and prior to that Cordewanere Street (meaning 'leather-workers')
Brabant Court – thought to be after the Dutch/Belgian province of this name, though possibly a corruption of a personal name (prior to the 18th century it was known as Braben Court, and before that Brovens Court)
Brick Court – as this was home to the first set of brick buildings in the area
Bride Court, Bride Lane, St Bride's Avenue, St Bride's Passage and St Bride Street – after the adjacent St Bride's Church
Bridewell Place – after the adjacent St Bride's Church and a well that was formerly located here in the early Middle Ages; the name was later given to Bridewell Palace (demolished in the 1860s)
Bridgewater Highwalk, Bridgewater Square and Bridgewater Street – after the Earls of Bridgewater, also called the Viscounts Brackley, who owned a house near here
Britannic Highwalk
Broadgate and Broadgate Circle – developed in the late 1980s, presumably named for the former Broad Street station on this site and the adjacent Bishopsgate
Broad Lane, Broad Street Avenue, New Broad Street and Old Broad Street – simply a descriptive name, dating to the early Middle Ages; the northernmost section was formerly 'New Broad Street'; however, this has now switched onto an adjacent side street
Broken Wharf – this wharf fell into disrepair owing to a property dispute in the 14th century
Brown's Buildings
Brushfield Street – after Thomas Brushfield, Victorian-era representative for this area at the Metropolitan Board of Works; the westernmost section, here forming the boundary with Tower Hamlets, was formerly called Union Street
Bucklersbury and Bucklersbury Passage – after the Buckerel/Bucherel family who owned land here in the 1100s
Budge Row – formerly home to the drapery trade; a budge/boge was a type of lamb's wool
Bull's Head Passage – thought to be after an inn or shop of this name
Carmelite Street – after the Carmelite order (known as the White friars), who were granted land here by Edward I
Carter Court and Carter Lane – after the cratering trade that formerly took place here, or possibly also after someone with this name
Carthusian Street – after the Carthusian monks who lived near here in the Middle Ages
Castle Baynard Street – after Castle Baynard which formerly stood here
Castle Court – after a former inn of this name
Catherine Wheel Alley – after a former inn of this name, which was named for the Catherine wheel on the coat of arms of the Worshipful Company of Turners
Cavendish Court – after the Cavendish family, Dukes of Devonshire, who owed a house near here in the 1600s
Chancery Lane – the former site of Edward III's office of the Master of the Rolls of Chancery
Cheapside and Cheapside Passage – from chepe, an Old English word meaning 'market'; this was the western end of a market that stretched over the Eastcheap
Cloak Lane – unknown, though possibly from cloaca, an old word for a sewer; prior to the mid-17th century it was Horseshoebridge Street, after a bridge that stood here over the Walbrook
Cloth Court, Cloth Fair and Cloth Street – after a long-running cloth fair that was formerly held here
Clothier Street – after the former clothes market that operated here
Cobb's Court
Cock Hill – unknown, possibly from an old inn of this name
Cock Lane – thought to be after either cock rearing or cock fighting that formerly occurred here
Coleman Street and Coleman Street Buildings – possibly after a church of this name or a personal name, or literally after the coalmen who formerly lived in this area in the Middle Ages
College Hill, College Street and Little College Lane – after the adjacent St Michael Paternoster Royal, which was created as a collegiate church by Richard Whittington in 1419; College Street was formerly Paternoster Street (meaning rosary makers and College Hill was Royal Street (a corruption of La Réole, France, where local wine merchants hailed from)
Cooper's Row – after an 18th-century property owner of this name; prior to this it was Woodruffe Lane, also thought to be after a property owner
Copthall Avenue, Copthall Buildings and Copthall Close – after a former 'copt hall' (crested hall) that stood here
Corbet Court – after a local 17th-century property developer
Cornhill – thought to be after the corn formerly grown or sold here
Cousin Lane – after either Joanna or William Cousin, the first a local landowner, the latter a 14th-century sheriff
Cowper's Court – after the Cowper family, local landowners
Crane Court – formerly Two Crane Court, possibly after a coat of arms of one of the local landowning families
Creechurch Lane and Creechurch Place – after the former Holy Trinity Priory, Aldgate near here; it was also named Christ Church, later corrupted to Creechurch, and later also given to St Katharine Cree church
Creed Court and Creed Lane – by association with the nearby St Paul's Cathedral
Crescent – thought to be first crescent-shaped street in London
Devonshire Row and Devonshire Square – after the Cavendish family, Dukes of Devonshire, who owed a house near here in the 1600s
Distaff Lane – formerly Little Distaff Lane, as it lay off the main Distaff Lane (now absorbed into Cannon Street); in Medieval times the area was home to a distaff industry
Doby Court – thought to be after a local landowner; prior to 1800 called Maidenhead Court
Dowgate Hill – after a former watergate leading to the Thames here; it was formerly Duuegate, Old English for 'dove' (possibly a personal name), or possibly simply from the word 'down'
Eastcheap – as it was the eastern end of the former Cheapside market
East Harding Street and West Harding Street – after local 16th-century property owner Agnes Harding, who bequeathed the surrounding area to the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths for the upkeep of widows
East Passage – presumably descriptive
East Poultry Avenue and West Poultry Avenue – after the meat trade here at Smithfield Market
Eldon Street – after John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon, Lord Chancellor in the early 19th century, or a tavern named after him
Elm Court – after the elm trees in the Temple Gardens
Essex Court – presumably after the earls of Essex, who owned a townhouse near here (hence the nearby Essex Street)
Exchange Arcade, Exchange Place and Exchange Square
F
Falcon Court – after a former inn or shop of this name
Falcon Highwalk
Fann Street – thought to be named after a local property owner or tradesman of this name
Farringdon Street – from Sir William or Nicholas de Farnedon/Faringdon, local sheriffs or aldermen in the 13th century
Fen Court, Fenchurch Avenue, Fenchurch Buildings, Fenchurch Place and Fenchurch Street – after a fen which was formerly located near here, and possibly the former St Gabriel Fenchurch
Fetter Lane and New Fetter Lane – formerly Fewter Lane, a Medieval term for an idler, stemming originally from the Old Frenchfaitour ('lawyer')
Finch Lane – after Robert Fink (some sources: Aelfwin Finnk), who paid for the rebuilding of the former St Benet Fink Church in the 13th century; the church was destroyed in the 1666 Fire, and its replacement demolished in the 1840s
Finsbury Avenue, Finsbury Avenue Square, Finsbury Circus – after a Saxon burgh (settlement) owned by someone called Finn
Fish Street Hill, Fish Wharf and Old Fish Street Hill – after the former local fish trade here, centred on Billingsgate Fish Market
Fountain Court – after the 17th-century fountain located here
Frederick's Place – after John Frederick, Lord Mayor of London in 1661
French Ordinary Court – former site of an 'ordinary' (cheap eating place) for the local French community in the 17th century
Friar Street – after the former Dominican friary that stood here 1276–1538
Friday Street – after the former local fish trade here, with reference to the popularity of fish on this day owing to the Catholic Friday Fast; the street formerly extended all the way to Cheapside
Gardner's Lane – unknown, though thought to be after a local property owner; formerly called Dunghill Lane in the 18th century
Garlick Hill – as it led to the former Garlick Hythe, a wharf where garlic was unloaded from ships
George Yard – after the adjacent George and Vulture pub, or another pub of this name formerly located here
Giltspur Street – thought to be the former location of a spurriers
Gloucester Court
Godliman Street – thought to be after Godalming, Surrey, a family bearing this name, or the selling of godalmins (a type of skin/leather); it was formerly Paul's Chain, after the chain placed here to prevent access to St Paul's churchyard
Golden Lane – formerly Goldynglane, thought to be after a local property owner of the name Golding/Golda
Goodman's Court and Goodman's Yard – thought to be after the Goodman family, local farmers in the 16th century
Gophir Lane – formerly Gofaire Lane, thought to be for Elias Gofaire, 14th-century property owner
Goring Street – unknown; prior to 1885 known as Castle Court, after a former inn
Goswell Road – there is dispute over the origins of the name, with some sources claiming the road was named after a nearby garden called 'Goswelle' or 'Goderell' which belonged to Robert de Ufford, 1st Earl of Suffolk, whilst others state it derives from God's Well, and the traditional pagan practice of well-worship, and others a 'Gode Well' formerly located here
Gough Square – after Richard Gough, wool merchant, local landowners in the early 1700s
Gracechurch Street – formerly Garscherch Street, Grass Church Street and Gracious Street, presumably after a local church (mostly likely St Benet Gracechurch and/or grassy area
Grand Avenue – presumably descriptive
Grant's Quay Wharf
Gravel Lane – descriptive, after its gravelly texture
Great Bell Alley – formerly just Bell Alley, it was named for a former inn
Great New Street, Little New Street, Middle New Street, New Street Court, New Street Square – built in the mid-1600s, and named simply as they were then new
Great St Helen's and St Helen's Place – after the adjacent St Helen's Church, Bishopsgate and former priory here of the same name
Great St Thomas Apostle – after the St Thomas the Apostle church, destroyed in the Great Fire
Great Swan Alley – after a former inn here called The White Swan
Great Trinity Lane, Little Trinity Lane and Trinity Lane – after the former Holy Trinity the Less church, demolished 1871
Great Winchester Street – following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the nearby Austin Friars was acquired by Sir William Powlet, Lord Treasurer; his son Lord Winchester renamed it for himself
Green Arbour Court – thought to be from a 17th-century inn
The Green Yard
Gresham Street – after Thomas Gresham, merchant and founder the Royal Exchange; the western part of this street was formerly known as Lad Lane, and the eastern part Cat Eaton Street (named literally after the cats here); they were amalgamated in 1845
Greyfriars Passage – after the Franciscan order, also known as the Grey friars, who owned land here in the Middle Ages
Greystoke Place – after a local 18th-century property owner of this name; prior to this it was Black Raven Alley, after a local inn
Hare Place – after Hare House which formerly stood here; formerly Ram Alley, a noted criminal area, prompting the name change
Harp Alley – thought to be after a former 17th-century inn of this name
Harp Lane – after the Harp brewhouse which formerly stood here
Harrow Place – thought to be named for a harrow-making shop formerly located here after a former inn of this name
Hart Street – unknown, formerly Herthstrete and Hertstrete, possibly after the hearthstone trade here
Hartshorn Alley – after the Hart's Horn inn which formerly stood here
Haydon Street and Haydon Walk – after John Heydon, Master of the Ordnance 1627–42, who lived near here
Hayne Street – after Haynes timber merchants and carpenters, who owned a shop here after a former inn of this name
Hen and Chicken Court – after former inn(s) here of this name
Heneage Lane and Heneage Place – after Thomas Heneage, who acquired a house here after the dissolution of the nearby abbey
High Holborn, Holborn, Holborn Circus and Holborn Viaduct – thought to be from hollow bourne, i.e. the river Fleet which formerly flowed in a valley near here. The High stems from the fact that rode led away from the river to higher ground. Circus is a British term for a road junction, and viaduct is a self-explanatory term.
High Timber Street – after a former timber hythe (wharf), recorded here from the late 13th century
Hind Court
Hogarth Court – the artist William Hogarth formerly lodged here at a local tavern
Honey Lane – after honey that was formerly sold here as art of the Cheapside market
Hood Court
Hope Square
Hosier Lane – after the former hosiery trade based here
Houndsditch – generally thought to be literally after a local ditch where dead dogs were dumped; however, others think it may refer to a nearby kennels
Huggin Court and Huggin Hill – formerly Hoggen Lane, as hogs were kept here
Hutton Street
I
Idol Lane – formerly Idle Lane, it may be a personal name or denote local idlers
India Street – after the former warehouses here of the East India Company; prior to 1913 it was George Street
Inner Temple Lane – after the adjacent Inner Temple
Ireland Yard – after haberdasher William Ireland, who owned a house here in the 1500s
Lombard Court and Lombard Lane – from Lombardy, as this area was home to a community from there; the name was altered from Lombard Street to avoid confusion with the other street of this name
Lombard Street – from the wool merchants from Lombardy who traded and lent money here from the 13th century onwards
London Bridge – self-explanatory; for centuries this was the only bridge crossing the Thames
London Street and New London Street – named after local 18th-century property owner John London, not the city; the 'New' section was a later extension
London Wall – after the city wall which formerly ran along this route (though there are still some ruins visible)
Lothbury – meaning 'burgh of Lotha/Hlothere', a 7th-century name
Lovat Street – thought to be either a corruption of Lucas Lane, after a local landowner, or for Lord Lovat, local politician; it was formerly Love Lane, probably a euphemism for prostitution, and changed to avoid confusion with the other city lane of this name
Love Lane – unknown, but possible with reference to the prostitution that occurred here in the 16th century; it was formerly Roper Lane, probably after the rope-making trade, but possibly after a person with this surname
Ludgate Broadway, Ludgate Circus, Ludgate Hill and Ludgate Square – the former city gate of this name that formerly stood here, thought to be an Old English term for 'postern-gate'
M
Mac's Place
Magpie Alley – after a former inn here of this name
Middlesex Passage – formerly Middlesex Court, thought to be after Middlesex House which formerly stood here
Middlesex Street (Petticoat Lane) and Petticoat Square – as this street forms the boundary of the city with the county of Middlesex, with the alternative name Petticoat stemming from the clothes market formerly held here; prior to 1602 it was known as Hog Lane after the animal
Middle Temple Lane – after the adjacent Middle Temple
Milk Street – after the milk and dairy trade that formerly occurred here in connection with the nearby Cheapside market
Millennium Bridge – as it was built to commemorate the 2000 millennium
Milton Court and Milton Street – after an early 19th-century lease owner of this name, or possibly the poet John Milton; prior to this it was Grub/Grubbe Street, after the former owner, or perhaps to a grube ('drain')
Mincing Lane – after minchins/mynecen, a term for the nuns who formerly held property here prior to 1455
Minerva Walk
Miniver Place – after the type of fur, named by connection with the nearby Skinner's Hall
Minories – after a former church/convent here of the Little Sisters (Sorores Minores) nuns
Minster Court and Minster Pavement
Mitre Square and Mitre Street – after the former Mitre Inn which stood near here
Modern Court
Monkwell Square – after the former street here also of this name, variously recorded as Mogwellestrate or Mukewellestrate, and thought to refer to a well owned by one Mucca
Moorfields and Moorfield Highwalk – after the marshy moorlands that formerly stood here
Moorgate and Moorgate Place – after the gate, leading to the marshy moorlands beyond, that formerly stood here
Moor Lane and Moor Place – after the marshy moorlands that formerly stood here
Muscovy Street – after the Muscovy Company of Elizabethan times, or the Russian merchants formerly based here
N
Nettleton Court
Nevill Lane
New Bell Yard
New Bridge Street – named in 1765 as it leads to the then-new Blackfriars Bridge
Newbury Street – formerly New Street, renamed 1890 to avoid confusion with other streets of this name
Newcastle Close – either after a former inn called the Castle located here, or after the city, with reference to the coal trade here
Newcastle Court
New Change, New Change Passage and Old Change Court – formerly Old Change, and named for a former mint and gold exchange here
New Court – built circa 1700 and named simply because it was then new
Newgate Street – after a new gate built here in the 1000s; the eastern part of this street was formerly Bladder Street, after the bladder selling trade here
Newman's Court – after Lawrence Newman, who leased land here in the 17th century
New Street – named simply as it was new when first built
New Union Street – named as it united Moor Lane and Moorfields; it was formerly Gunn Alley
Nicholas Lane and Nicholas Passage – after the former St Nicholas Acons church, destroyed in the Great Fire
Noble Street – after Thomas de Noble, local 14th-century property developer
Northumberland Alley – after Northumberland House, house of the Earls of Northumberland, which formerly stood here
Norton Folgate – the former word a corruption of North Town, and the latter after the local Folgate family
Norwich Street – unknown; formerly Norwich Court, and prior to that Magpie Yard, probably from a local inn
Nun Court – thought to be after a local builder/property owner
O
Oat Lane – as oats were formerly sold here in the Middle Ages
Octagon Arcade (Broadgate)
Old Bailey – after a bailey fortification that formerly stood here
Old Billingsgate Walk – after the former watergate of this name, the derivation of Billings is unknown
Old Jewry – after a Saxon-era settlement of Jews here, thought to be termed Old following the Edict of Expulsion of all Jews from England by Edward I
Old Mitre Court – after a former tavern of this name here
Old Seacole Lane – thought to be after the coal trade that came from the sea and up the river Fleet here
Old Watermen's Walk
Outwich Street – after either Oteswich/Ottewich, meaning 'Otho's dwelling', a name for this area of London in the early Middle Ages or the former St Martin Outwich church, named for the Outwich family, demolished 1874
Oystergate Walk – after a watergate here, and the oyster trade
Oxford Court – after a former house here owned by the Earls of Oxford
P
Pageantmaster Court
Pancras Lane – after St Pancras, Soper Lane church which stood here until destroyed in the Great Fire; it was formerly Needlers Lane, after the needle making trade here
Panyer Alley – after a Medieval brewery here called the panyer (basket)
Playhouse Yard – after the Blackfriars Playhouse, which stood here in the 17th century
Pleydell Court and Pleydell Street – formerly Silver Street, it was renamed in 1848 by association with the neighbouring Bouverie Street; the Bouverie family were by this time known as the Pleydell-Bouveries
Plough Court – thought to be either from an inn of this name, or an ironmongers; formerly Plough Yard
Plough Place – after the Plough/Plow, a 16th-century eating place located here
Plumtree Court – thought to be after either literally a plumtree, or else an inn of this name
Pope's Head Alley – after the Pope's Head Tavern which formerly stood here, thought to stem from the 14th-century Florentine merchants who were in Papal service
Poppins Court – shortening of Popinjay Court, meaning a parrot; it is thought to stem from the crest of Cirencester Abbey (which featured the bird), who owned a town house here
Portsoken Street – after port-soke, as it was a soke near a port (gate) of the City
Post Office Court – after the General Post Office which formerly stood near here
Poultry – after the poultry which was formerly sold at the market here
Primrose Hill – thought to be named after a builder of this name, or possibly the primroses which formerly grew here; formerly called Salisbury Court, as it approaches Salisbury Square
Primrose Street – thought to be named after a builder of this name, or possibly the primroses which formerly grew here
Prince's Street – named in reference to the adjacent King and Queen Streets
Printers Inn Court – after the printing industry which formerly flourished here
Printer Street – after the printing industry which formerly flourished here
Priory Court
Prudent Passage
Pudding Lane – from the former term pudding meaning animals' entrails, which were dumped here in Medieval times by local butchers; it was formerly Rothersgate, after a watergate located here
Puddle Dock – thought to be either descriptive (after the water here), or named for a local wharf owner of this name
Pump Court – after a former pump located here
Q
Quaggy Walk
Quality Court – a descriptive name, as it was superior when built compared with the surrounding streets
Rising Sun Court – after the adjacent pub of this name
Robin Hood Court – thought to be after a former inn of this name
Rolls Buildings and Rolls Passage – the former site of a house containing the rolls of Chancery
Rood Lane – after a former rood (cross) set up at St Margaret Pattens in the early 16th century; it became an object of veneration and offering, which helped pay for the repair of the church, but was torn down in 1558 as an item of excessive superstition
Ropemaker Street – descriptive, after the rope making trade formerly located here
Rose Alley – after a former inn of this name
Rose and Crown Court
Rose Street – after a former tavern of this name here; it was formerly Dicer Lane, possibly after either a dice maker here, or a corruption of ditcher
Royal Exchange Avenue and Royal Exchange Buildings – after the adjacent Royal Exchange
St Benet's Place – after the former St Benet Gracechurch which stood near here; destroyed in the Great Fire, its replacement was then demolished in 1868
St Botolph Row and St Botolph Street – after the adjacent St Botolph's Aldgate church
St Clare Street – after a former church/convent here of the Little Sisters of St Clare
St Dunstan's Alley, St Dunstan's Hill and St Dunstan's Lane – after the former St Dunstan-in-the-East church, largely destroyed in the Blitz and now a small garden
Sandy's Row – after a builder or property owner of this name
Saracens Head Yard – after a former inn of this name
Savage Gardens – after Thomas Savage, who owned a house here in the 1620s
Scott's Lane
Seething Lane – formerly Shyvethenestrat and Sivethenelane, deriving from Old Englishsifetha, meaning 'chaff/siftings', after the local corn threshing
Serjeants Inn – after the former Serjeant's Inn located here before the Blitz
Sermon Lane – thought to be after Adam la Sarmoner, 13th-century landowner
Shafts Court – named after a maypole (or 'shaft') that formerly stood nearby at the junction of Leadenhall Street and St Mary Axe
Sherborne Lane – earlier Shirebourne Lane, alteration of the Medieval Shitteborelane, in reference to a public privy here
Ship Tavern Passage – after the nearby Ship tavern
Shoe Lane – as this lane formerly led to a shoe-shaped landholding/field
Shorter Street
Silk Street – thought to be named for its late 18th-century builder, or the silk trade formerly located here
Sise Lane – as it formerly led to St Benet Sherehog church, which was dedicated to St Osyth (later corrupted to Sythe, then Sise)
Skinners Lane – after the fur trade that was former prevalent here; it was formerly Maiden Lane, after a local inn or shop
Smithfield Street and West Smithfield – derives from the Old English 'smooth-field', a series of fields outside the City walls
Snow Hill and Snow Hill Court – formerly Snore Hill or Snowrehill, exact meaning unknown
Southampton Buildings – after Southampton House which formerly stood here, built for the bishops of Lincoln in the 12th century and later acquired by the earls of Southampton
South Place and South Place Mews – named as it is south of Moorfields
Steelyard Passage – after the Hanseatic League Base, now under Cannon St. Station
Stew Lane – after a former stew (hot bath) here
Stonecutter Street – after the former stonecutting trade that took place here
Stone House Court – after a former medieval building here called the Stone House
Stoney Lane – simply a descriptive name, streets typically being mud tracks in former times
Suffolk Lane – after a former house here belonging to the dukes of Suffolk
Sugar Bakers Court – presumably descriptive
Sugar Quay Walk – presumably descriptive
Sun Court
Sun Street and Sun Street Passage – after a former inn of this name
Swan Lane – after a former inn here called the Olde Swanne; formerly Ebbgate, after a watergate here
Swedeland Court – after the former Swedish community based here
T
Talbot Court – after a former inn of this name (or Tabard)
Tallis Street – after the 16th-century composer Thomas Tallis, by connection with the adjacent former Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Telegraph Street – renamed (from Bell Alley, after a former inn) when the General Post Office's telegraph department opened there
Temple Avenue and Temple Lane – after the adjacent Temple legal district
The Terrace (off King's Bench Walk) – presumably descriptive
Thavies Inn – after a house here owned by the armourer Thomas (or John) Thavie in the 14th century
Thomas More Highwalk – after 16th-century author and statesman Thomas More
Threadneedle Street and Threadneedle Walk – originally Three Needle Street, after the sign on a needle shop located here, later corrupted due to the obvious collocation of 'thread' and 'needle'
Tokenhouse Yard – after a 17th-century token house here (a house selling tokens during coin shortages)
Took's Court – after local 17th-century builder/owner Thomas Tooke
Tower Hill Terrace – after the adjacent Tower Hill
Tower Royal – after a former Medieval tower and later royal lodging house that stood here; Royal is in fact a corruption of La Réole, France, where local wine merchants hailed from
Trig Lane – after one of several people with the surname Trigge, recorded here in the Middle Ages
Vine Street – formerly Vine Yard, unknown but thought to be ether from a local inn or a vineyard
Vintners Court – after the adjacent Worshipful Company of Vintners building; the area has been associated with the wine trade as far back as the 10th century
Viscount Street – formerly Charles Street, both names after the Charles Egerton, Viscount Brackley, of which there were three in the 17th–18th centuries
W
Waithman Street – after Robert Waithman, Lord Mayor of London 1823–1833
Walbrook and Walbrook Wharf – after the Walbrook stream which formerly flowed here, possibly with reference to the Anglo-Saxon wealh meaning 'foreigner' (i.e. the native Britons, or 'Welsh')
Wardrobe Place and Wardrobe Terrace – after the Royal Wardrobe which formerly stood here until destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666
Warwick Lane, Warwick Passage and Warwick Square – after the Neville family, earls of Warwick, who owned a house near here in the 1400s; formerly Old Dean's Lane, after a house here resided in by the Dean of St Paul's
Watergate – after a watergate which stood here on the Thames
Water Lane – after a former watergate that stood here by the Thames; formerly Spurrier Lane
Watling Court and Watling Street – corrupted from the old name of Athelingestrate (Saxon Prince Street), by association with the more famous Roman Watling Street
Well Court – after the numerous wells formerly located in this area
Whalebone Court
Whitecross Place
Whitecross Street – after a former white cross which stood near here in the 1200s
Whitefriars Street – after the Carmelite order (known as the White friars), who were granted land here by Edward I
White Hart Court – after a former inn of this name
White Hart Street
White Horse Yard – after a former inn of this name