Naming roads

As urban and remote communities across the Northern Territory (NT) grow and expand, new suburbs and roads are created and new names are needed.

There are also existing roads that have not been officially named. Often these are in remote communities or rural areas.

Types of names

Road naming is a great opportunity to record the NT’s history and culture in an enduring way.

Roads can be named to commemorate diverse aspects of the NT, including but not limited to:

• people
• events
• language
• flora
• fauna
• patterns of development
• war contributions
• exploration
• settlement
• local geography
• cultural diversity.

While not a requirement, a theme for road naming is often adopted in new suburbs. Examples include:

• the suburb of Lyons that commemorates Larrakia language words for local flora and fauna
• part of the suburb of Johnston that commemorates Navy vessels that supported recovery efforts after Cyclone Tracy.

Naming a road after a person

Road names that commemorate a person only use the surname of the person.

If a family or descendant wants the full name of their relative commemorated it may be appropriate to instead apply the name to a park, bridge, building or other public infrastructure.

Who makes the request

While anyone can request a name for a particular road, it is usual for the developer of a new subdivision or suburb to submit a request to the Place Names Committee.

Some developers prefer to research and develop their own name requests (which may or may not be themed) while others prefer to draw names from the committee’s reserve list.

Propose a name

To start a road naming project and get help to develop a project specific consultation plan, contact the Department of Lands, Planning and Environment.

Consultation requirements differ depending on the type of name being requested, where the road is located, and who owns or will own the road.

Find out more about how places are named.

Read more information about generic terms used in the NT to describe the type of road.

Request a name be added to the reserve list

You can also make a request to have the name of a person included in the reserve list. It can be used in the future when a commemorative naming opportunity arises.

Find out how to nominate a person for commemoration.