Wall Street Got its Name Because of Dutch Settlers

Wall Street is more of an idea than a physical location for the majority of us. We all know it's a place where money is made, even though few of us will ever have a need to be there, and it has been the topic of stories and films. If you're not familiar, Wall Street is a stretch of eight blocks in Manhattan that houses the city's financial district. Wall Street is home to both NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange.

The origin of the name can be attributed to the Dutch, who founded New York as New Amsterdam centuries ago. The narrative, which first appeared in the 1700s, has some minor variants, but in several of them, the "wall" in the name refers to an actual wall. According to one narrative, the Dutch made a treaty with the local Native Americans and later breached it.

Later, as part of their defenses against them, they constructed a real wall. According to a different version of the narrative, the northern boundary of the New Amsterdam town was delineated by an earthen wall. This one may have been used to protect against both the English and Native Americans. Another theory contends that the Walloons, a Belgian ethnic minority, may be responsible for the name's origin. Many of the original settlers were reportedly Walloons.