Flea Market - Origin of Term

Origin of Term

The origins of the term "flea market" are disputed. According to one theory, the Fly Market in 18th century New York City began the association. The Dutch word Vlaie, or vlie (In the Dutch Language, 'v' is pronounced as an English 'f'), meaning a swamp or valley, was located at Maiden Lane near the East River in Manhattan. The land on which the market stood was originally a salt marsh with a brook. By the early 1800s the "Fly Market" was the principal market in New York City.

Another theory maintains that "flea market" is a common English phrase calque from the French "marché aux puces", literally translating to ("market where one acquires fleas"). The first reference to this term appeared in two conflicting stories about a location in Paris, France in the 1860s which was known as the marché aux puces (flea market).

The traditional and most publicized story is in the article "What Is A Flea Market?" by Albert LaFarge in the 1998 winter edition of Today's Flea Market magazine. In his article LaFarge says, "There is a general agreement that the term "Flea Market" is a literal translation of the French marché aux puces, an outdoor bazaar in Paris, France, named after those pesky little parasites of the order Siphonaptera (or "wingless bloodsucker") that infested the upholstery of old furniture brought out for sale."

The second story appeared in the book Flea Markets, published in Europe by Chartwell Books. The introduction states:

In the time of the Emperor Napoleon III, the imperial architect Haussmann made plans for the broad, straight boulevards with rows of square houses in the center of Paris, along which army divisions could march with much pompous noise. The plans forced many dealers in second-hand goods to flee their old dwellings; the alleys and slums were demolished. These dislodged merchants were, however, allowed to continue selling their wares undisturbed right in the north of Paris, just outside of the former fort, in front of the gate Porte de Clignancourt. The first stalls were erected in about 1860. The gathering together of all these exiles from the slums of Paris was soon given the name "marché aux puces", meaning "flee market", later translation.