How Did SoHo Get Its Name? The Story Behind It Is Definitely Not What You Would Have Expected It To Be

Soho

Image Courtesy: historyoflondon/Website

Ever noticed how the word Soho instantly makes things sound cooler? Like, if someone says, “It’s a cute café in Soho,” you’re already halfway in love. No matter where you are on that world map, you may be in London, New York, or Hong Kong, but when something is in Soho, it promises a little bit of art, a little bit of attitude, and a whole lot of culture. But here’s the wild part: they’re all different Sohos. Yes, 3 places on 3 continents have the same name! But they also have completely different backstories. Still, all of them managed to become global cultural hotspots. Coincidence? Probably not.

The Wild Origins Of Soho In London

Image Courtesy: Nancy/Wikipedia

Let’s rewind to 17th-century London, when Soho wasn’t neon lights and noodle bars; it was hunting fields. The name? It actually comes from a hunter’s cry, “So-ho,” which was used to rally hounds and horses. 

As the city grew, this open land turned into something far more layered as immigrants moved in and artists found refuge. Imagine Jazz coming from basement bars in the smoothest fashion alive! By the 1900s, Soho had become London’s creative underbelly, a place where the lines between day and night, art and life, blurred beautifully. Fast-forward to now: it’s still elegant and stylish. Fancy restaurants live next door to indie theatres with street performers, media execs, and drag queens, all crammed into a few buzzing blocks. 

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When Streets Speak Art: Soho’s Global Reinvention

Hop across the Atlantic and land in Manhattan’s SoHo, which stands for South of Houston Street. Unlike London’s poetic origin, this one’s pure geography. But don’t be fooled by the name’s simplicity. In the ‘60s, Soho was a forgotten industrial zone. YES! Think empty warehouses, peeling paint and ghosts of factories. But soon, it transformed into a creative mecca. As galleries bloomed, Warhol walked these streets, and the fashion set made its entry; anyone could tell, a legend was in the making.  Even today, it boasts cobbled streets, luxury boutiques, minimalist cafés, and buildings that still wear their old bones like couture. 

Then there’s Hong Kong’s Soho, sitting in the south and the heart of Hollywood Road. This one’s a little slow in comparison; it only really took off in the mid-90s, after the mid-level escalator made the area suddenly reachable (and trendy overnight).

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So what ties them together? Not the architecture; not the history; just a four-letter name and an energy that refuses to sit still. Be it a hunting field in London, an art colony in NYC, or a hangout in Hong Kong, Soho always ends up being the place to be. One can call it a coincidence or branding, but some names are just destined to make noise.

Cover Image Courtesy: historyoflondon/Website

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