“Odonym” is a fancy word for street or road name, and Galveston has far more than its share. Though most cities only require one name per street, in most instances Galveston has at least two, and often a history of more. 

 Alex Thompson made the first known map of Galveston in 1828. Streets running east and west bore such names as Crockett, Milam, and Travis, while others closer to the beach were San Jacinto, Menard, and Christy. 

 For streets positioned east and west that ran into the gulf at an angle, just as they do today, animal names were used such as Buffalo and Lion. Grecian names like Venus, Mercury, Juno and Neptune were also used, and in the western section were Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and New York. 

 John Groesbeck, a New York civil engineer who came to Texas in 1837 is credited with creating the first city grid layout and naming the streets in alphabetical and numerical order. 

 The names that Groesbeck established still officially exist, but designations in honor of prominent citizens have been added over the years, many of which are more commonly used. 

 Together, the street names on the island tell a story, some more obvious than others. For example, Seawall Boulevard that runs along the city’s seawall is fairly self-explanatory, but other name origins are a bit less apparent. 

 The 1845 Sandusky map shows the strip of land where Avenue A now stands as being almost completely under water. Ships of the time period could often pull up to the rear portions of the buildings on the Strand to unload cargo.

 By 1871 the land was extended and the Drie city map showed the road name of Front Street. Through the years, it has also been known as Harbor Street, Industrial Boulevard and Water Street. It now serves the cruise terminals as Harborside Drive. 

 The Strand, originally titled Avenue B, was named after the famous London Street. From 12th Street east, as it approaches and enters University of Texas Medical complex, it also goes by Texas Avenue. 

 Avenue C earned the name Mechanic Street due to the number of craftsman shops located there in the early days of the city. In more recent years, this was lengthened to Ships Mechanic Row. 

 Avenue D was appropriately dubbed Market Street because an immense farmer’s market building was once located there at the intersection of 20th Street. In 1987, Galvestonian Casey Cutler petitioned for the name to be changed to Fish Market Row, but the alteration was never approved. 

 Avenue E picked up the designation Postoffice Street when “Old Fed,” the first non-military federal building in Texas which included a post office, was opened on the corner of 20th Street in 1860. 

 In 2009, the three-block stretch of Avenue E from 27th to 30th was renamed Alfreda Houston Place for the longtime director of St. Vincent’s House, a daycare and free health clinic staffed by UTMB students. 

 Avenue F became known as Church Street because two of Galveston’s first church buildings were located there: First Presbyterian at 19th Street and St. Mary’s at 21st Street. Other denominations eventually called this street home as well. 

 Without a doubt, the street with the most different versions of name origin is Avenue G, also known as Winnie Street. The moniker “Winnie” came into use by January 1867, but to confuse matters even further, for a short time around 1871 Avenue G was also referred to as Menard Street as a tribute to this city’s founder.  

The theory is that the road was named after Gilbert Winne, who was an early pioneer in Galveston and operated a livery stable at the corner of 20th Street and Avenue G. His name was repeatedly misspelled in records of the period, perhaps because of its pronunciation, which added the letter “i” as is seen in the street. 

His tragic death due to a carriage accident was mourned by the city and is timed reasonably close to the street renaming. 

 The reason for name choices of other street names is more obvious: Avenue H as Williams Street for Samuel May Williams, for example. Williams was a member of the original Galveston City Company formed by Menard to establish the island city. 

 The street name was later changed to Ball Street after banker and philanthropist George Ball and retains that name to this day. 

 But even prominently titled streets have their exceptions. Ball Street between 27th and 28th is known as Reverend A. S. Johnson Boulevard, and as Reverend Nathaniel Brown Boulevard between 37th and 39th. 

 Avenue I was given the name McKinney for Thomas Freeman McKinney, an early merchant and business associate of Michel B. Menard and Samuel May Williams. In the 1930s, the avenue was renamed Sealy after John Sealy, a local merchant, banker, and philanthropist who had lived on that street.

 Broadway Avenue is rarely called Avenue J, although that was originally its assigned name on the first few maps of the city. At one time, the road was to be renamed Rosenberg, but it failed to gain the support of locals. 

 That honor later went to 25th Street. The state of Texas refers to Broadway as Highway 87. 

 Avenue K is known as Jones Avenue, after Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas. There have been handfuls of people, however, who contend that it was actually named after Levi M. Jones, an early Galveston merchant. (There is also a Jones Drive off of Stewart Road.) 

 Avenue L was christened Borden Avenue for Gail Borden, the city’s first collector of customs and inventor of condensed milk.

 Avenue M’s alternate name is Baker Avenue for Mosely Baker, a leading advocate of Texas independence from Mexico. He was elected to the Third Congress from Galveston County and served from 1838 to 1839. 

 Avenue N acquired the name Ursuline Street because the Ursuline nuns who arrived in 1847 from New Orleans located their convent on Avenue N and 25th Street.

 Avenue N ½’s alternate name of Victoria seems to be a mystery, as even old-timers in years long past couldn’t recall where it originated. 

 In 1980 Galveston added the name Bernardo de Galvez Boulevard to Avenue P, in honor of the city’s namesake. 

 Avenue P ½, otherwise known as Heard's Lane, was given this title to honor Dr. Thomas Jefferson Heard who, after moving to Galveston in 1857, became the most prominent physician in the city. A founder of Texas Medical Association, he served on the faculty of Galveston Hospital and Medical College. 

 The 2800 block of Avenue R ½ is known as Gus Allen Drive, for Andrew “Gus” Allen who owned a number of seafood restaurants and clubs during the years of segregation and after.

 Alphabetically appropriate, Avenue S is also Stewart Road named for Maco Stewart, the Galveston-born World War I veteran and former president of Stewart Title Company.

 In 1954 George Sealy, Jr. received his own thoroughfare, which had previously only been known as 2nd Street or Ferry Road. The gesture was made by the city in gratitude for his dedication to the beautification of Galveston.

 The festive alternate moniker given to 4th Street is Holiday Drive. 

 6th Street, once known as North Boulevard, has become University Boulevard in recent years because of its proximity to UTMB. 

 Antonio “Tony” and Nilde Smecca, who founded a pizzeria that would become Mario’s on the Seawall were honored with the newly coined Via Smecca which encompasses the 1000 block of 7th Street—a rare honor to receive during their lifetime rather than in memoriam. 

 10th Street has been labeled Bertolino’s View for Carmelo “Charles” Bertolino, born in 1887, a volunteer lifesaver who rescued more than 500 people from drowning in the waters of the gulf. 

 In 1982, the city renamed 14th Street as Christopher Columbus Boulevard. 

 Center Street was the common name used for 21st Street because it crossed through what was once the center of the city. After the death of William L. Moody, Jr. it was renamed Moody Avenue. 

 His daughter, Mary Moody Northen was later honored with her own boulevard, previously called 53rd Street, as a reflection of the community’s gratitude for her philanthropic work. 

 22nd Street was given the name Kempner Avenue in appreciation of Isaac Kempner, founder of the Imperial Sugar Company and mayor of Galveston from 1917 to 1919. Kempner was also an instrumental force in the city’s recovery from the Great Storm of 1900. 

 The nickname of Tremont acquired by 23rd Street in the early days of Galveston referred to Tremont Street in Boston, and eventually became official, most likely due to the location of the original location of the Tremont House on the corner of Postoffice Street. It was built in 1839, shortly after the city’s inception, and became the premiere hotel in Galveston. 

 The modern-day Tremont House on Mechanic was named in honor of the original by its owner, Island-born billionaire George P. Mitchell. He was later revered by having the section of 24th Street between Broadway and Harborside named after him as token of thanks for dedicating much of his life to revitalizing and restoring the island’s history and economy. 

 Somewhat ironically, 25th Street was known as Bath Avenue, the site of the Bath Avenue School that became famous from photographs of the 1900 Storm destruction. The name was inspired by the numerous roller bathhouses rented to tourists where the street ended and met the beach. 

 Galveston’s rich history is a huge part of the city’s identity, thus it is fitting that the tellers of this storied past are woven into the everyday journeys of current residents and visitors. 

 While historical researchers may need a cheat sheet to keep up with all of the changes through the years, luckily drivers can just refer to the road signs and take their pick of names to use.