Zoopla has identified the most common street names – and they are every bit as predictable as you can imagine. At the other end of the scale are some of Britain’s most unusual (and rude).
High Street is the most common name for a street, and there are no fewer than 2,086 of them. It’s followed by Station Road (1,939) and Church Street (1,408).
Whilst the first high street was not thought to have been established until the 1870’s following urbanisation, the name is thought to have originated in the 12th century when the word ‘high’ was adopted to indicate something or someone of a more important status than others.
Early street names in medieval England were practical, drawn from a nearby tree or river, the farm at the end of the road or the inn on the corner. Streets might be named for what happened there and also what you could find—the butcher, the church or the produce market. Other streets were helpfully named for where they led to, take the London Road to London, for example, of which there are 499.
Most popular street names in the UK
| No. | Street Name | Number in UK |
| 1 | High Street | 2086 |
| 2 | Station Road | 1939 |
| 3 | Church Street | 1408 |
| 4 | Church Lane | 1328 |
| 5 | Church Road | 1074 |
| 6 | Mill Lane | 1032 |
| 7 | The Green | 948 |
| 8 | Main Street | 821 |
| 9 | Green Lane | 805 |
| 10 | School Lane | 803 |
Nearly one in three street names only appear once in the UK, with a total of 288,000 unique street names. Within this list, there are several unusual names including Bumble Hole Lane, named after a short railway that opened outside of Birmingham in 1878.
Nowadays, the rules surrounding the naming of streets are far more rigorous. Councils says names should be clear, and different to anything else already in use within the area. Street names that could be seen as advertising or offensive are also likely to be rejected – although some rude ones appear to have crept through.
Least common and quirkiest street names in the UK
| Street Name | Local Authority |
| Bumble Hole Lane | Worcestershire |
| Cock-A-Dobby | Bracknell |
| Crotch Crescent | Oxford |
| Hoverfly Close | Gosport |
| San Francisco Walk | East Suffolk |
| Shaggs Meadow | New Forest |
| Tumbling Dice Mews | Dartford |
| Wuffle Gardens | Nuneaton & Bedworth |
| Ynysmaerdy Terrace | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Zorbit Mews | Tameside |
Naming streets after Kings and Queens is an age-old tradition in the UK.
Out of the top 100 most popular streets in the UK, 30 have royal connotations. In the top 20, Queen Street and Victoria Road reign, with 560 and 554 respectively. Although the local council or planning department is now responsible for naming streets, the use of the word ‘Royal’ or an associated word is not permitted without written consent from the Lord Chamberlain’s Office4.
Zoopla’s Daniel Copley says: “The name of the street you are moving to might not be the first thing you think about when entering into the home buying process, but it’s certainly something that should be considered. Some street names might put off future buyers, particularly if it has an unsavoury connotation. That being said, a street name that is unusual, might help avoid confusion when having post delivered or directing others to your property. Right, I’m off to Bumble Hole Lane.”