Back in the 16th and 17th centuries, this area was largely open country—a patch of farmland and meadows just outside the City of London’s walls. It was prime real estate for the nobility, who used it as a hunting ground for hares and foxes.
Enter the word “so-ho.” This was the traditional cry used by hunters to call their hounds into action, a sort of “tally-ho” for the chasing set. Imagine the scene: a Duke on his horse, shouting “So-ho!” as his dogs tear across what is now Wardour Street.
Historical records confirm that “So Ho” appears on maps from the early 1600s, describing the fields near a specific manor house. The name stuck, even after the posh estates were built and the wild hunts gave way to urban sprawl. It’s literally a hunting shout that became a world-famous address.
A Tale of Two Sohos (And the Confusion)
You might have heard the persistent myth that Soho stands for “South of Houston Street” in New York. That’s true for New York’s SoHo—an acronym invented in the 1960s by urban planners. London’s Soho came first, by about 300 years.
Another fun party fact: there was once a competing area called “Soho” near the Palace of Westminster, but it faded away. London’s Soho won the naming rights through sheer cultural muscle. The name also appears in literature dating back to the 1620s, proving it’s no recent invention.
So when a New Yorker says “SoHo,” they mean a trendy shopping district. When a Londoner says “Soho,” they’re invoking the ghost of a fox hunt. The difference is centuries old and thoroughly charming.
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