This formidable civic building stands on the site of the formerly sizeable Cobble Hill or “Cobleshill,” as it was known in the late 18th century. Before this steep hill was flattened in the mid-19th century, it was the location of the Cobble Hill Fort. The "Cobleshill" lent its name to the neighborhood! Unfortunately it wasn't called after the other name for the hill: "Ponkiesbergh."

Carroll Gardens takes its charming name from two separate sources! One source was Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the declaration of independence, whose Maryland regiment had defended the area during the battle of Brooklyn. The "Gardens" part came from the fact that before the city purchased the land, it was a private park.

Coney Island, now synonymous with its beach, boardwalk, and theme parks, used to be thought of differently. Its name comes from the Dutch "Conyne Eylandt", which translates to Rabbit Island.

Sheepsheads Bay is less furry (or gruesome) than it sounds. It is named after Sheepshead, an edible fish that could be found in nearby waters.

Bensonhurst's name, like that of many neighborhoods, comes from its original owners. James Lynch, having bought the land from the Benson family, sold plots calling it "Bensonhurst-by-the-Sea."

Canarsie takes its name from the Canarsie, a band of Munsee-speaking Lenape who had originally settled the area.

The Gowanus neighborhood takes its name from the Gowanus Canal that runs through its center. The canal, in turn, takes its name from Gauwane, a Canarsie leader.

Williamsburg doesn't take its name from its settler (that would be Richard M. Woodhull), but by the man who surveyed the land: Colonel Jonathan Williams. Woodhull would name the area in William's honor, calling it Williamsburgh. Williamsburg would drop the h when it became a city!

Flatbush is derived from the Dutch name "Vlackte Bosch" meaning: Flat Forest.

Red Hook's name is actually more literal than it initially seems! The red comes from the color neighborhood's soil and Hook comes from the Dutch word "heok" which translates to point.

On the other side of Brooklyn is a neighborhood named with similar inventiveness. Greenpoint's name comes simply from the neighborhood's grassiness when it was settled.

Fort Greene, on the other hand, takes its name from a fort honoring famed revolutionary war General Nathaneal Greene.

Bushwick's name (like many on this list) comes from its original Dutch "Boswijck." Chartered by Stuyvesant, the name translates to the very literal "neighborhood in the woods."

Legend has it that Brighton Beach was named by a contest- Brighton Beach being the winning submission! Whether this is actually the case or not, a group of developers named the neighborhood that in the late 1800s and Brighton Beach joined a number of Brooklyn neighborhoods (like Bath Beach, Kensington, and possibly Gravesend) to take their name from places in England.

The origins of Gravesend are still up for debate. Most think it was named after the town in England, but some number it as one of the Brooklyn's Dutch neighborhoods (named after the strangely spelled town 's- Gravesande.) However, since the town's founder Lady Moody emigrated from the British Gravesend, it is probably the former.