The Toponym’Elles place-name list
The Toponym’Elles place-name list was created so that women could be better represented in the names of streets, parks and other public places. Learn how this list was started and how to suggest a name.
Establishing equilibrium with the Toponym’Elles place-name list
Toponym’Elles is a list of names that highlight the contributions of women to our history. Created for the 375th anniversary of Montréal’s founding, and containing 375 names connected to women, today it includes about 450 names.
The objective of Toponym’Elles is to increase the number of names related to women in the city and to highlight the accomplishments of Montréal women, both the well-known and those whose work has been almost forgotten.
In the first five years after the list was compiled, place-naming in Montréal has become more female. More than 50 places were named either for women or for elements of women’s history. This represents more than half of all new gendered names given.
The most recent such names include:
- Place des Pointelières
- Rue Yvette-Brillon
- Passage Yolène-Jumelle
- Parc Saidye-Bronfman
- Parc Lucia-Kowaluk
- Place Andrée Lachapelle
- Avenue Marie-Stéphane
- Parc Thaïs-Lacoste
- Parc Annie-Montgomery
To learn about the history of these women, consult the Répertoire historique des toponymes (in French).
Help enrich Toponym’Elles
You can help us improve the list of names:
- Suggest the names of women or women’s groups who have made a mark on Montréal history
- Provide additional information to the datasheets included in the Toponym’Elles databank