IN “Romeo and Juliet,” the young Miss Capulet poses one of literature’s most famous questions: “What’s in a name?”

When it comes to a street name, the answer is: a lot.

Street names tell stories. They tell us if a neighborhood is expensive or affordable, brand-new or decades old. With street names alone, we can uncover all kinds of insights.

This might seem surprising, especially given the relatively random process by which streets get their names. A real-estate developer might come up with a motif that seems relevant to a particular place, or just an arbitrary theme — Caribbean, equestrian, or United States presidents. Some developers hold competitions among employees and then pick the winning names. The local government usually takes a look at the resulting map, just to make sure the names won’t confuse mail carriers or ambulance drivers. And that’s about it.