DUMBO stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass
In 1978, residents living between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges decided to give their neighborhood a name to strengthen the area's identity in the face of development. At a loft party that will go down in history, the community-members considered two acronyms: DANYA, District Around the Navy Yard Annex, and DUMBO, Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass (or, according to some, Down Under the Manhattan and Brooklyn Overpasses). You can guess which name won!