Staten Island’s neighborhood names preserve some of New York City’s oldest layers of history. Dutch and English place-names share the map with French Huguenot settlements, colonial estates, ferry landings, oyster villages, military sites, railroad communities, resort beaches, industrial company towns, and quiet residential districts that still carry the names of families who lived there generations ago.
The borough is also unusual because so much of its earlier landscape can still be recognized in its modern geography. Creeks, hills, shorelines, old roads, and former villages continue to shape the way Staten Islanders describe where they live. This guide looks at the stories behind 40 Staten Island neighborhood and community names, from St. George and Tottenville to Todt Hill, Sandy Ground, Richmondtown, and Charleston.
1. St. George
Origin: Named for financier and developer George Law during the creation of Staten Island’s major ferry and railroad terminal in the 1880s.
The Story: Businessman Erastus Wiman was working to consolidate Staten Island’s railroad and ferry connections when waterfront land was needed for a new terminal. Staten Island tradition, supported by contemporary historical accounts, holds that Wiman promised to “canonize” George Law if the land rights could be secured, turning George Law into the very unofficial “St. George.” The terminal opened in 1886 and helped make the neighborhood the borough’s transportation and government center. The area is also home to the historic St. George Theatre.
2. Tottenville
Origin: Named for the prominent Totten family, whose members were longtime South Shore landowners, merchants, mariners, and businesspeople…