The 16th Century Neckwear That Inspired the Word ‘Piccadilly’

British infrastructure essayist Luke O'Sullivan explained the origins of the term Piccadilly", which is found all over London, Manchester, and other parts of the United Kingdom.

I'm here at Piccadilly Circus. There's a street called Piccadilly and I traveled here on the Piccadilly line. I've never heard anybody ask what actually is a Piccadilly?

It turns out, the word came from 16th century neckwear, commonly known at the time as piccadills". Robert Baker, a highly successful designer of this neckwear, built a house that he named Piccadilly Hall, and the name stuck.

Baker built a house which he called Piccadilli Hall. And in 1668, the street name finally changed to Portugal Street, named in honor of Katherine of Brazanga, the wife of King Charles II. It's safe to say that the name Portugal Street didn't catch on and people just ended up calling it Piccadilli after the hall. So in 1673, part of the street was renamed Piccadilly, this time spelled as it is today.

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