How do you think Wall Street got its name? Interestingly, there’s no wall in sight... In the 17th century, Manhattan was part of the Dutch Empire, and Wall Street was just another dirt road that happened to be called Waal Straat, a reference to the French-speaking Walloons who lived in the neighbourhood. When the British conquered the city and renamed it New York in 1664, they simply anglicised the existing street name.