It’s 7204 km from Victoria, British Columbia in the west to St John’s, Newfoundland in the east, and 4529 km between Alert, Nunavut in the north and Windsor, Ontario in the south. Connecting this big, beautiful landmass is a network of thousands of roads, all named after something or someone. This got us thinking: what are the most popular names among Canadian streets? How do their numbers reflect the values and history of the Great White North?
As it turns out, Canada’s most common street name is a number: Second. But this finding isn’t actually that surprising, as Second is also the most popular street name in America, according to an article from FiveThirtyEight. Numerical street names in fact feature quite prominently in our list. Out of the top ten names, six are numbers (it’s seven out of ten for American street names). But there are a few key differences that distinguish Canada’s list from America’s. Maple cracks the Canadian top ten, for instance. There are also nods to the British royalty as well as to our French heritage, and references to famous Canadians throughout history. Second may be the top name for practical reasons, but the rest of the list provides a window into Canada’s culture and values.
We wanted to produce the most holistic and accurate list of street names in Canada, and extracted this data from Statistics Canada’s Road Network Files for 2015. We computed the 80 most common names after combining numerical monikers like “First”, “1st”, “1E” and “Premier” together; moreover, French words (apart from proper nouns) were included with their English translation in the final count. For example, the common Quebec street name “l’Église” was combined with the common English Canada street name “Church”.
Of course numerically named streets are common, but it’s notable that Second (at 2022 occurrences) — and not First — is the top street name in all of Canada. This is because streets named Second do not necessarily follow a First street. As explained in FiveThirtyEight’s analysis of American street names, Second will often come after whatever serves as a city’s primary thoroughfare, be it First Street, Main Street, Front Street or something else (see Lakeview, Nova Scotia, for instance). The numbers continue in the list in relatively ordinal fashion up to Twelfth, after which the next most common street name number is Fiftieth (242). That’s a pretty big jump between street numbers.
The popularity of Fiftieth comes from Alberta, where the intersection of 50th Avenue and 50th Street serves as the midpoint of many urban municipalities – 41% of the province’s cities follow this pattern. The model of assigning high numbers to the streets at a city’s midpoint is said to have spread from Edmonton (which centres at 101st and 101st/Jasper), and became a popular and easy navigation system among central and northern Alberta towns. In the 1920s the prominent natural gas supplier Northwestern Utilities liked Edmonton’s approach so much that they incorporated it into their expanding gas network – a city had to adopt the 50th Avenue/50th Street midpoint in order to get Northwestern Utilities’ services.
References to nature dominate the list, which is not surprising since Canada is a veritable blanket of breathtaking natural scenery. These mostly appear in the form of tree species and landscapes rather than animals – perhaps “Moose Street” or “Caribou Crescent” couldn’t be taken seriously by developers. Only the noble Canadian Beaver (154) makes it onto the list. The most common reference to nature is Maple (1138), the emblem on the nation’s flag and symbolic of the syrup for which Canada is so well known. This is followed by Park (1104) and Pine (904), Canada’s most common conifer.
The list of American street names also featured many references to nature, but Canada’s includes some absent from the American list – Mountain (395) and Evergreen (259), for instance. Other nature names unique to Canada’s most popular list include Aspen (428), Riverside (282), Beach (269), Bayview (264), Hillside (247), Riverview (246) and Water (232).
It comes as little surprise that names of royal descent appear on the list before those of famous Canadians. Victoria (501), King (479) and Queen (371) are more common than any historic Canadian, a testament to our enduring if not complicated ties to the British monarchy. After all, Queen Victoria has 501 streets named after her and a federal holiday to boot, while Canada’s first Prime Minister, John A. MacDonald, didn’t even make it onto the list. Now the Widow at Windsor can add “most common street named after a person in Canada” to her list of accolades.
Other names’ origins remain ambiguous. Are they tied to royalty or not? For instance William (number 42 on the list with 295 streets) could be King William IV of the United Kingdom, William Lyon MacKenzie, or another William entirely. We just don’t know.
Famous People, Places and Monuments
There are some streets with obvious references to famous Canadians, however. Campbell (296) is likely in honour of one of Canada’s Fathers of Confederation, Sir Alexander Campbell. Fraser (238) is probably in recognition of Simon Fraser, acclaimed explorer and fur trader. Same for Thompson (244), likely named for the explorer and cartographer David Thompson.
Bellevue (278) is one of the only names on the list referring to a specific place or monument. Some of these streets could be named after Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, one of the oldest communities in Montreal. Others could be for Bellevue House, an elaborate villa that was leased to John A. Macdonald before his time as Prime Minister. Also in this category is Saint-Joseph (281). These streets could be named after Montreal’s largest church, Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal in Montreal, the various towns named Saint-Joseph, or for the Great Saint of Everyday Life himself.
As with royalty, it can be hard to determine which famous person these streets are recognizing. James (334) could be in honour of Welsh sea captain Thomas James, for whom James Bay is also named. Some could be in honour of King James. But really, the name James is so common it’s impossible to determine exactly which famous James is being saluted. Same with streets named Douglas (229), which may pay tribute to David (namesake of the Douglas fir) or Sir James (Governor of Vancouver Island and British Columbia).
So what can a list like this really reveal about Canada’s history and values? While it is certainly shaped in part by regional quirks, the list does seem to suggest certain ineffable values: British before Canadians, Maples before Pines, cartographers before fur traders. Regardless, we’ve confirmed that Canadians not only love their trees, but love naming their streets after them – especially trees that provide the delicious nectar so emblematic of the country’s soul.
We used StatsCan’s comprehensive mapping database that includes every street in Canada. We grouped streets together in the list in the following cases: a) numbered streets that have essentially identical meanings, such as First/1st/1/1e (streets like 1A, 1B were not grouped because they tend to exist where there is already a First/1st Street) and b) French words were combined with their English equivalents, such as Church and l’Église. Most streets are easily classified according to nature, royalty, etc., though some required an arbitrary decision (ex. classifying Charles as royalty).
Ni kilomita 7,204 kutoka Victoria, British Columbia magharibi hadi St. John's, Newfoundland mashariki, na kilomita 4,529 kati ya Alert, Nunavut kaskazini na Windsor, Ontario kusini. Mji huu mkubwa na wenye kupendeza unaunganishwa na barabara nyingi ambazo zote zimepewa majina ya vitu au watu. Hii ilitufanya tufikirie: ni majina gani yanayojulikana zaidi miongoni mwa barabara za Kanada? Idadi yao huonyeshaje maadili na historia ya Kaskazini ya White Great? Kama inavyotokea, jina la barabara la kawaida zaidi la Kanada ni namba: Pili. Lakini ugunduzi huu si kweli kwamba ya kushangaza, kama Pili pia ni jina maarufu zaidi mitaani katika Amerika, kulingana na makala kutoka FiveThirtyEight. Kwa kweli, majina ya barabara yenye nambari yanaonekana sana katika orodha yetu. Kati ya majina kumi ya juu, sita ni namba (ni saba kati ya kumi kwa majina ya barabara za Marekani). Lakini kuna tofauti chache muhimu ambazo hutofautisha orodha ya Canada na Amerika. Kwa mfano, Maple anaingia katika orodha ya watu kumi bora zaidi nchini Kanada. Pia kuna kumbukumbu za familia ya kifalme ya Uingereza na pia urithi wetu wa Ufaransa, na marejeo ya Wakanada mashuhuri katika historia. Ya pili inaweza kuwa jina la juu kwa sababu za vitendo, lakini mapumziko ya orodha hutoa dirisha la utamaduni na maadili ya Canada. "Kama ""mfano wa kuvutia"" wa orodha ya barabara za Canada, tumechunguza data kutoka kwa Takwimu za Canada za Mtandao wa Barabara za 2015." "Tuliandika majina 80 ya kawaida baada ya kuchanganya majina ya namba kama ""First,"" ""First,"" ""First,"" ""First,"" na ""Premier"" pamoja; zaidi ya hayo, maneno ya Kifaransa (mbali na majina halisi) yaliingizwa na tafsiri yao ya Kiingereza katika hesabu ya mwisho." Kwa mfano, jina la kawaida la barabara ya Quebec <unk>l<unk>Église<unk> lilichanganywa na jina la kawaida la barabara ya Kiingereza ya Canada <unk>Church<unk>. "Kwa kweli, barabara zilizoitwa kwa nambari ni za kawaida, lakini ni muhimu kwamba ""Pili"" (kwa matukio ya 2022) na sio ""Kwanza"" ni jina la barabara ya juu nchini Kanada nzima." Hii ni kwa sababu barabara zilizoitwa Pili hazifuati barabara ya Kwanza. Kama ilivyoelezwa katika uchambuzi wa majina ya barabara ya Marekani ya FiveThirtyEight, pili mara nyingi itakuja baada ya chochote kinachotumika kama barabara kuu ya mji, iwe ni First Street, Main Street, Front Street au kitu kingine (tazama Lakeview, Nova Scotia, kwa mfano). Nambari zinaendelea katika orodha kwa njia ya utaratibu hadi kumi na mbili, baada ya hapo nambari ya pili ya jina la barabara ya kawaida ni ya hamsini (242). Hiyo ni kuruka pretty kubwa kati ya namba za mitaani. Mzunguko wa 50th Avenue na 50th Street ni katikati ya miji mingi ya mijini, na 41% ya miji ya mkoa hufuata muundo huu. Mfano wa kugawa nambari za juu kwa barabara katika katikati ya mji unasema kuwa umeenea kutoka Edmonton (ambayo inazingatia 101st na 101st Jasper) na ikawa mfumo maarufu na rahisi wa urambazaji kati ya miji ya kati na kaskazini mwa Alberta. Katika miaka ya 1920, kampuni ya gesi ya Northwestern Utilities ilipenda sana mbinu ya Edmonton na kuijumuisha katika mtandao wao wa gesi unaoongezeka - mji ulilazimika kupitisha katikati ya barabara ya 50th Avenue ili kupata huduma za Northwestern Utilities. Marejeo ya asili huongoza orodha hiyo, jambo ambalo halishangazi kwa kuwa Kanada ni mahali pazuri kabisa pa kuona mandhari yenye kupendeza. Hizi kwa ujumla kuonekana katika fomu ya aina ya miti na mandhari badala ya wanyama <unk> labda <unk>Moose Street<unk> au <unk>Caribou Crescent<unk> hakuweza <unk> kuchukuliwa kwa uzito na watengenezaji. Ni Beaver wa Kanada (154) tu anayeingia kwenye orodha hiyo. "Mfano wa asili wa Canada ni ""Maple"" (1138-1138) ambayo ni alama ya bendera ya nchi na ishara ya syrup ambayo Canada inajulikana sana." Hii inafuatwa na Park (1104) na Pine (904), Canada's conifer ya kawaida. Orodha ya majina ya barabara ya Marekani pia ilionyesha marejeo mengi ya asili, lakini Canada inajumuisha baadhi ya kutokuwepo kutoka orodha ya Marekani <unk> Mountain (395) na Evergreen (259), kwa mfano. Majina mengine ya asili ya kipekee kwa orodha ya Canada maarufu ni pamoja na Aspen (428), Riverside (282), Beach (269), Bayview (264), Hillside (247), Riverview (246) na Water (232). Haishangazi kwamba majina ya watu wa ukoo wa kifalme yanaonekana kwenye orodha hiyo kabla ya majina ya Wakanada mashuhuri. Victoria (501), King (479) na Queen (371) ni kawaida zaidi kuliko Canada yoyote ya kihistoria, ushahidi wa uhusiano wetu wa kudumu ikiwa sio ngumu na ufalme wa Uingereza. Baada ya yote, Malkia Victoria ana barabara 501 zilizoitwa kwa jina lake na likizo ya shirikisho, wakati Waziri Mkuu wa kwanza wa Canada, John A. MacDonald, hata hakufanya hivyo kwenye orodha. Sasa Mjane wa Windsor anaweza kuongeza "barabara ya kawaida iliyoitwa kwa jina la mtu nchini Canada" kwenye orodha yake ya tuzo. Asili ya majina mengine bado haijulikani. Je, wao wameunganishwa na familia ya kifalme au la? Kwa mfano, William (nambari 42 kwenye orodha na barabara 295) anaweza kuwa Mfalme William IV wa Uingereza, William Lyon Mackenzie, au William mwingine kabisa. Hatujui tu. Watu Mashuhuri, Maeneo na Mnara Kuna baadhi ya barabara na marejeo dhahiri kwa Canada maarufu, hata hivyo. Campbell (296) ni uwezekano katika heshima ya mmoja wa Canada 'Baba wa Confederation, Sir Alexander Campbell. "Fraser (238 B.C.) alikuwa ""mtaalamu wa biashara ya manyoya"" na mvumbuzi wa zamani wa Ulaya, Simon Fraser." "Thompson (244 AD) ni jina la mtafiti na mchoraji ramani wa ""David Thompson.""" Bellevue (278) ni mojawapo ya majina machache kwenye orodha hiyo yanayorejezea mahali au mnara fulani hususa. Baadhi ya barabara hizo zinaweza kuitwa kwa jina la Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, mojawapo ya jumuiya za kale zaidi huko Montreal. Nyumba ya Bellevue, ambayo ilikodishwa na John A. Macdonald kabla ya kuwa Waziri Mkuu. Pia katika jamii hii ni Saint-Joseph (281). Barabara hizi zinaweza kuitwa kwa jina la kanisa kubwa zaidi la Montreal, Oratory ya Mtakatifu Joseph ya Mount Royal huko Montreal, miji mbalimbali iliyoitwa Saint-Joseph, au kwa Mtakatifu Mkuu wa Maisha ya Kila Siku mwenyewe. Kama ilivyo na watu wa kifalme, inaweza kuwa vigumu kuamua ni mtu gani mashuhuri ambaye barabara hizo zinamtambua. James (334) inaweza kuwa kwa heshima ya Welsh bahari nahodha Thomas James, ambaye kwa James Bay pia ni jina lake. Baadhi ya nyimbo hizo zinaweza kutukuzwa kwa heshima ya Mfalme James. Lakini kwa kweli, jina James ni la kawaida sana hivi kwamba haiwezekani kujua ni James gani mashuhuri anayeheshimiwa. Mtaa wa Douglas (229) ni jina la kihistoria la mji wa Vancouver, Uingereza. Kwa hiyo orodha kama hii inaweza kufunua nini kweli kuhusu historia na maadili ya Kanada? Ingawa kwa hakika imebuniwa kwa sehemu na tabia za kikanda, orodha hiyo inaonekana kupendekeza maadili fulani yasiyoelezeka: Waingereza kabla ya Wakanada, Maples kabla ya Pines, wachoraji ramani kabla ya wafanyabiashara wa manyoya. Bila kujali, tumethibitisha kwamba Wakanada si tu wanapenda miti yao, lakini wanapenda kutaja barabara zao baada yao - hasa miti ambayo hutoa nectar ladha hivyo ishara ya roho ya nchi. Tulitumia hifadhidata ya ramani ya kina ya StatsCan ambayo inajumuisha kila barabara nchini Canada. "Mara nyingi, watu wanaona ""mtaa"" kama ""mtaa wa kwanza"" au ""mtaa wa kwanza"" kama ""mtaa wa kwanza"" au ""mtaa wa kwanza"" kama ""mtaa wa kwanza"" au ""mtaa wa kwanza"" kama ""mtaa wa kwanza"" au ""mtaa wa kwanza"" kama ""mtaa wa kwanza"" au ""mtaa wa kwanza"" kama ""mtaa wa kwanza.""" Barabara nyingi ni rahisi kuainishwa kulingana na asili, kifalme, nk, ingawa baadhi zinahitaji uamuzi wa kimakusudi (mfano. Charles alikuwa amefungwa kwa ajili ya utumishi wa kifalme.