Terms for parts of a street name

[Streetman]

In the complete name of a street, for example "Main Street", the word "Street" is called the suffix. Is there a term for what "Main" is? For "North Main Street", "North" is a prefix. Wallingford, CT has a "North Main Street Extension". What is "Extension" called?
I've been researching the origin of street names in my town and want to use proper terms in my descriptions.

[Ted$8roadFan]

In the complete name of a street, for example "Main Street", the word "Street" is called the suffix. Is there a term for what "Main" is? For "North Main Street", "North" is a prefix. Wallingford, CT has a "North Main Street Extension". What is "Extension" called?
I've been researching the origin of street names in my town and want to use proper terms in my descriptions.

The Middletown area has a number of "extensions" . Connecticut is the only state I know of that uses "Extension"  as a suffix.

[Streetman]

...Connecticut is the only state I know of that uses "Extension"  as a suffix.

A quick search on Google Maps turns up "XXXX Street Extension" in PA, NC, GA.

[Hunty2022]

In the complete name of a street, for example "Main Street", the word "Street" is called the suffix. Is there a term for what "Main" is? For "North Main Street", "North" is a prefix. Wallingford, CT has a "North Main Street Extension". What is "Extension" called?
I've been researching the origin of street names in my town and want to use proper terms in my descriptions.

The Middletown area has a number of "extensions" . Connecticut is the only state I know of that uses "Extension"  as a suffix.

Avon Street Extension south of Charlottesville, VA.

[vdeane]

Chili Ave Ext.

[1995hoo]

In the complete name of a street, for example "Main Street", the word "Street" is called the suffix. Is there a term for what "Main" is? For "North Main Street", "North" is a prefix. Wallingford, CT has a "North Main Street Extension". What is "Extension" called?
I've been researching the origin of street names in my town and want to use proper terms in my descriptions.

The Middletown area has a number of "extensions" . Connecticut is the only state I know of that uses "Extension"  as a suffix.

Avon Street Extension south of Charlottesville, VA.

Charlottesville used to have a couple of those. When my father attended UVA Law, and then the JAG School, he and my mother lived on what is now called Nob Hill Circle, but back then it was "Stribling Avenue Ext." The part of Sunset Avenue on the far side of the gap where the only connection over a creek is a pedestrian bridge used to be "Sunset Avenue Ext." as well. As of 2019, Sunset Avenue Ext. was shown on street signs (there was another a bit further south at Mountainwood Road).

What I find mildly interesting is that if you look at that Street View link I provide, they put the "Ext." in the "suffix" position and they treat "Sunset Avenue" as the street's name. Compare to the other sign on the same assembly, where "Rd." is the suffix and "Swan Ridge" is the street's name. I think the only time I've seen "Avenue" as an actual part of the street name is in Toronto (Avenue Road).

[US 89]

In the complete name of a street, for example "Main Street", the word "Street" is called the suffix. Is there a term for what "Main" is? For "North Main Street", "North" is a prefix. Wallingford, CT has a "North Main Street Extension". What is "Extension" called?
I've been researching the origin of street names in my town and want to use proper terms in my descriptions.

The Middletown area has a number of "extensions" . Connecticut is the only state I know of that uses "Extension"  as a suffix.

Avon Street Extension south of Charlottesville, VA.

Charlottesville used to have a couple of those. When my father attended UVA Law, and then the JAG School, he and my mother lived on what is now called Nob Hill Circle, but back then it was "Stribling Avenue Ext." The part of Sunset Avenue on the far side of the gap where the only connection over a creek is a pedestrian bridge used to be "Sunset Avenue Ext." as well. As of 2019, Sunset Avenue Ext. was shown on street signs (there was another a bit further south at Mountainwood Road).

What I find mildly interesting is that if you look at that Street View link I provide, they put the "Ext." in the "suffix" position and they treat "Sunset Avenue" as the street's name. Compare to the other sign on the same assembly, where "Rd." is the suffix and "Swan Ridge" is the street's name. I think the only time I've seen "Avenue" as an actual part of the street name is in Toronto (Avenue Road).

There is an Adams Avenue Parkway near Ogden, Utah that is also treated that way. It lines up with Adams Ave in Ogden on the north end, but it was built separately to provide a route down the cliffs along the north side of the Weber River floodplain and connect the southern Ogden suburbs to I-84. Since the state apparently had no interest in building it, it is the only non-express-lane toll road in Utah.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Some of the southwestern suburbs of Minneapolis like Minnetonka have a Lake St. Extension.

[Dirt Roads]

In the complete name of a street, for example "Main Street", the word "Street" is called the suffix. Is there a term for what "Main" is? For "North Main Street", "North" is a prefix. Wallingford, CT has a "North Main Street Extension". What is "Extension" called?
I've been researching the origin of street names in my town and want to use proper terms in my descriptions.

West Virginia also has a bunch of "Avenue Ext." and "Street Ext." suffixes (and even a handful of "Road Ext." suffixes).  Sounds like you are creating a "database" for the street names.  Like someone else said, the term "Extension" is simply a suffix.  But it is possible that there would be more than one suffix for a street name, if you start including "Ext." in the suffix field.  No reason that you can't have multiple street suffixes, but I've never seen any in the wild.  If this has got you bothered, just create a new field called "Extenders" and put them there. 

West Virginia also has a not-so-common suffix called "Addition".  But this is a property division term, synonymous with the term subdivision.  So most of the time you would see the term "street" dropped such that the common road names in my hometime are "Beechwood Estates" or "Saunders Addition", both of which are their respective subdivision names.  But indeed, we do have instances of "Winding Road Addition" near Parkersburg.  In a few cases, you might see something like "Orchard Addition Road" in Peterstown (the other one way down in Monroe County).

[Rothman]

Chili Ave Ext.

Washington Ave Extension in Colonie, NY...

[GaryV]

For "North Main Street", "North" is a prefix.

I believe North is called a directional. In some places they appear at the beginning of the name; others at the end. For example, DC and Grand Rapids have NE, NW, SE and SW at the end of the street address.

In most cases the directional tells what way the street runs from the division line(s). But in others, it tells that the whole street/road itself is in relation to a dividing line. For example, Calhoun County, MI (Battle Creek and surrounds) label their east-west running roads as lettered drives. There is both A Drive North and A Drive South, B Drive North and B Drive South, etc. They are lettered up and down from Division Drive. Fortunately their address baselines are the west and south county borders, so they don't have addresses like "East 100 A Drive North" and "West 100 A Drive North".

[Streetman]

...But it is possible that there would be more than one suffix for a street name, if you start including "Ext." in the suffix field.  No reason that you can't have multiple street suffixes, but I've never seen any in the wild....

Sounds good. In my example, I'll call "Extension" the second suffix.

[KCRoadFan]

In most cases the directional tells what way the street runs from the division line(s). But in others, it tells that the whole street/road itself is in relation to a dividing line. For example, Calhoun County, MI (Battle Creek and surrounds) label their east-west running roads as lettered drives. There is both A Drive North and A Drive South, B Drive North and B Drive South, etc. They are lettered up and down from Division Drive. Fortunately their address baselines are the west and south county borders, so they don't have addresses like "East 100 A Drive North" and "West 100 A Drive North".

Many counties in Indiana have those "dual directional" roads just like you mentioned, arranged in a grid incrementing by 100 to the mile. Addresses are formatted as #### [Prefix Direction] [Road Number] [Suffix Direction], where the prefix direction indicates the position of the address along the road, while the suffix direction signifies the location of the road relative to the baseline. The addresses increment by 1000 every mile, such that, for example:

*"West 400 North" runs east-west, 4 miles north of the north-south baseline, and is west of the east-west baseline.
*"North 500 West" runs north-south, 5 miles west of the east-west baseline, and is north of the north-south baseline.
*The addresses "5000 West 400 North" and "4000 North 500 West" would both be found at the intersection of the aforementioned two roads.

Personally, I've always found that system rather fascinating, ever since I first saw those grids of county roads - first on Microsoft Streets & Trips, and then on Google Maps.