John Fanning Watson, whose Annals of Philadelphia was the first great history of the city (it is listed in the bibliography), remembered that street signs first appeared about 1800, affixed to the corners of buildings (1830 edition, p.723) and also gave a list on the following page of early street name changes:
Bread Street-- has been called familiarly Moravian Alley, because that church had its front formerly on that street.Noble Street-- was called commonly Bloody Lane, because a murder had been committed there.
Garden Alley-- changed to Coombes' Alley, because he was a tenant on the Front Street corner.
Cedar Street-- is changed to South Street, because it was the southern limit of the city. It was often called Southermost [sic] Street.
Sassafras Street-- has been called Race Street, because it was the road to the races once out there. It was also called Longhurst Street, in the earliest deeds.
Mulberry Street-- always called Arch Street, because of an arch or bridge across that street at Front Street. It was also called Holmes' Street, in the earliest deeds.
High Street-- originally called so, because of its having been the highest elevation from the river of all the other streets-- changed to Market Street by the popular voice, because of the markets in it.
King Street-- changed to Water Street because of its nearness to the river.
Branch Street-- changed to Sourcrout Alley, and so universally once called, because the first cutter of cabbage, who made it a business to go abroad with his machine to cut for families, lived almost alone in that street.
Jones' Alley-- changed to Pewter-platter Alley, because of such a sign (a real pewter dish of large size) once hung at the corner of Front Street.
Duke Street-- changed to Artillery Lane, because of the British cannon having been placed there.
Prime Street-- was called Love Lane, because of a long row of lewd houses there.
Callowhill Street-- in 1690 was called "New Street," probably because it was the first opened in the Northern Liberties.
Brewer's Alley-- because of Geddes' brewery there, now called Wood Street.
Vine Street-- was at an early period called Valley Street, because of its vale there between two hills, above and below it.
Chesnut Street-- was first called Wynn Street, after Thomas Wynn.
Walnut Street-- was Pool Street, as leading to Dock Creek water.
Norris's Alley-- was called Hutton's Lane or Alley.
Gray's Alley-- was called Morris' Alley.
Gabriel Thomas, in his account of the city as early as 1698, speaks of several other street-names not now known, to wit: Shorter's Alley-- Yower's Lane-- Waller's Alley-- Sikes' Alley-- Flower's Alley-- Turner's Lane-- all of which extended only from Front to Second Street. They probably then bore the names of the chief inhabitant dwelling at or near them.