Meanings and Origins of Names - Los Angeles County
Altadena
Altadena means "upper dena" or north of Pasadena. The name was first used in 1887.
Alvarado
Alvarado was named after Governor Juan B. Alvarado who served as governor of California under Mexican rule from 1836 to 1842.
Antelope Valley
The Antelope Valley was named after the animals that were once common throughout California.
Baldwin Hills
Baldwin Hills was named after E.J. "Lucky" Baldwin.
Baldwin Park
Baldwin Park was named after E.J. "Lucky" Baldwin.
Bandini
Bandini was named after Juan Bandini who was an early politically powerful rancher in Southern California.
Bel Air
Bel Air, located in the Westside of Los Angeles, was named after real estate developer Alfonso Bell.
Benedict Canyon
Benedict Canyon was named after Edson Benedict who was a major, early land owner in Los Angeles County.
Boyle Heights
Boyle Heights was named after the founder of the community, Andrew Boyle, which is located in East Los Angeles.
Cahuenga
Cahuenga was named after a local Indian Village, that once existed in the area.
Canoga Park
Canoga Park was named after Canoga, New York which obtained its name from the Native American village of Ganogeh.
Castellammare
Castellammare was named after a place in Italy meaning "castle by the sea".
Centinela
Centinela was named after Rancho de la Centinela, which was once owned by Daniel Freeman.
Century City
Century City was named after 20th Century Fox Motion Picture Company which is located in the Century City section of Los Angeles.
Charter Oak
Charter Oak, located in the San Gabriel Valley, is named after a famous oak tree in Hartford, Connecticut.
Chatsworth
Chatsworth, located in the San Fernando Valley, was named after Chatsworth in Devonshire, England.
Dominguez
Dominguez was named after Juan Jose Dominguez who received a large Spanish land grant in 1784.
Eagle Rock
Eagle Rock was named for the large, prominent sandstone rock in the area that resembles an eagle in flight.
EI Sereno
EI Sereno located near Downtown Los Angeles, is the Spanish word for "serene".
Encino
Encino is named after "Santa Catalina de Bononia de los Encinos", the Spanish name given to the area in 1769 by the Portola expedition.
Figueroa
Figueroa was named for Jose Figueroa, a former governor of California under Mexico.
Garfield
Garfield was named for our 20th president of the United States, James Garfield.
Granada Hills
Granada Hills was named after a city in Spain.
Griffith Park
Griffith Park was named after Griffith J. Griffith who donated the land to the City of Los Angeles in 1896 for use as a park.
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory, located in Griffith Park, was named in 1932 for Griffith J. Griffith who donated money to the City of Los Angeles for the construction of the observatory.
Hancock Park
Hancock Park was named after Major G. Allan Hancock in 1916 who donated a large tract of land to the County of Los Angeles.
Highland Park
Highland Park, originally known as Garvanza, was named Highland Park in 1895 when the community was annexed by the City of Los Angeles.
La Brea
La Brea is Spanish for "the tar" which was discovered in the area.
Ladera Heights
Ladera is Spanish for hillside.
Los Feliz
Los Feliz was named after the land grant owned by Jose Feliz.
Mt Wilson
Mount Wilson was named after Benjamin D. "Don Benito" Wilson who was the first American mayor of Los Angeles and the grandfather of General George S. Patton.
Newhall
Newhall, located in the Santa Clarita Valley, was named after a large land owner, Henry M. Newhall.
Northridge
Northridge, once known as Zelzah and North Los Angeles, was renamed Northridge in 1935 because the community was located along the north ridge of the San Fernando Valley.
Olvera Street
Olvera Street, located in Downtown Los Angeles, was named after Augustin Olvera, a Mexican resident and both the first County Administrator and first County Judge under United States rule.
Pacific Palisades
Pacific Palisades was named after the seaside bluffs in the area by the local Methodist Church.
Pacoima
Pacoima is a Tongva Indian word meaning "running water".
Pearblossom
Pearblossom was named after the pear orchards that were once abundant in the area.
Pico
Pico was named after the last Mexican Governor of California, Pio Pico.
Playa del Rey
Playa del Rey, originally named Port Ballona, was an unsuccessful real estate development in 1887. Its name was changed to Playa del Rey in 1902.
Porter Ranch
Porter Ranch was once part of the large ranch owned by George Porter Keating.
Quartz Hill
Quartz Hill was named after the extensive quartz deposits found in the surrounding area.
Rowland Heights
Rowland Heights was named after an early settler, John Rowland, who came to Southern California via the Rowland-Workman Wagon train in 1841.
San Jose Hills
The San Jose Hills were named after the San Jose land grant.
Santa Catalina
Santa Catalina, located in the Channel Islands, was named after St Catherine in 1602.
Sepulveda
Sepulveda was named after Francisco Sepulveda, a large local land owner.
Sherman Oaks
The community of Sherman Oaks, in Los Angeles, was named after the developer of the area, Moses Sherman.
Silver Lake
The community of Silver Lake in Los Angeles was named after Herman Silver who was a member of the first Los Angeles Board of Water Commissioners.
Studio City
The community of Studio City, in Los Angeles was named after Republic Studios which opened in the area in 1920.
Sylmar
Sylmar, once the location of extensive olive groves, received its name from combining Latin and Spanish words to mean "Sea of Trees".
Tarzana
The community Tarzana in the San Fernando Valley was named after the famous movie character, "Tarzan" after Edgar Rice Burroughs acquired the Otis Estate in 1917.
Toluca Lake
Toluca Lake is named after an old Aztec word.
Topanga
Topanga is an Indian name meaning "above place" or "sky". There was once an Indian village in the area located high above Topanga Creek near Malibu in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Tujunga
Tujunga is named after the former Indian village narned Tuyunga which means "mountain range".
Universal City
Universal City was named after the Universal Pictures Company that opened in the area in 1915.
Valencia
Valencia was named after the type of oranges that grew in the Santa Clarita Valley prior to its development.
Van Nuys
The community of Van Nuys in Los Angeles was named after Isaac N. Van Nuys who was the son-in-law of Isaac Lankershim. Both were major land owners and developers in Southern California.
Venice
Venice was named by developer Abbot Kinney in 1904 who designed the area to be like Venice, Italy.
Verdugo Canyon
Verdugo Canyon was named after Jose Maria Verdugo who received a large land grant from the Spanish Governor Pedio Fages in 1784.
Wilmington
Wilmington was named after Wilmington, Delaware, birthplace of a major land owner in the area, Phineas Banning.
Winnetka
The community of Winnetka in the San Fernando Valley, was named after Winnetka, Illinois by land owner and developer Charles Weeks.