From Pau Casals to Marie Curie: The historical figures most celebrated on Catalan street names

Naming streets after historical figures is one of the most common inspirations behind the toponymy of Catalonia.  

A significant portion of the region’s more than 106,000 streets, squares, avenues, and roads bear the names of illustrious individuals who have shaped history, culture, and society. 

According to data from the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC), analyzed by Catalan News, the most celebrated figure across Catalonia’s street names is cellist and composer Pau Casals, with more than 400 streets dedicated to him.  

He is followed closely by Jacint Verdaguer, one of the giants of Catalan literature, whose name also appears on nearly 400 streets.  

Other frequently honored male figures include former Catalan president Lluís Companys, with 286 streets, as well as the grammarian Pompeu Fabra, the poet Joan Maragall, the architect Antoni Gaudí, and the playwright Àngel Guimerà. 

When it comes to female figures, however, the representation is far more limited. The most commemorated woman is the renowned Catalan author Mercè Rodoreda, known for 'La plaça del Diamant,' with 138 streets named in her honor, a significant drop compared to the top male figures.  

Following her are writers Montserrat Roig and Maria Aurèlia Capmany, with just over 100 and 78 streets respectively.  

The pedagogue Rosa Sensat and the anarchist Frederica Montseny also appear in the rankings, each with around 50 street name dedications. 

Majority of street names dedicated to men

The gender imbalance is striking. Among the 500 most common street names in Catalonia, approximately 83% are dedicated to male historical figures or male saints.  

In numerical terms, there are 72 male figures and 37 male saints represented, while only 14 female saints and just nine notable women appear in the list.  

In absolute terms, the contrast is even more stark: more than 10,000 streets are dedicated to men or male saints, compared to just around 1,500 for women or female saints. 

According to Miquel Parella, head of toponymy at the ICGC, this imbalance reflects historical inequalities.

"Street names are mostly masculine because, traditionally, fields like science, literature, the monarchy, and the military belonged to men," he explains.  

In recent years, however, city councils —which are responsible for naming streets— have "become more conscious" of this imbalance and have begun pushing initiatives to honor more women, or to rename existing streets that previously had little historical significance.  

"The trend is starting to reverse, but the disparity remains very large," says Parella, adding that street names serve as a "mirror of the societies that choose them." He also notes that today, names referencing saints, especially for new streets, "would be difficult to approve" under current naming standards. 

From Alexander Fleming to Marie Curie

Despite the dominance of local figures, many streets in Catalonia are also named after internationally renowned personalities.  

Among these, the most represented is Dr. Alexander Fleming, the Scottish physician who discovered penicillin, with 151 streets named after him across Catalonia.  

Explorer Christopher Columbus follows, with 85 streets, while physicist and chemist Marie Curie also ranks highly.  

Composers receive notable attention as well, with Beethoven appearing most frequently, followed by Mozart and Wagner.  

Political figures are also present. Salvador Allende, the former Chilean president and socialist reformer, has 16 streets to his name.  

Other internationally known names that appear in Catalan street signage include painters Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, as well as scientific pioneers like Galileo Galilei and Copernicus. 

To learn more about Catalonia’s street names and the stories behind them, listen to this episode of Filling the Sink.