Waves of renaming
Four waves
1991–2013. The centre got its historical names back first: the former Lenin St became Soborna and Petropavlivska again, followed by Voskresenska, Troitska, Illinska, Pokrovska and Pokrovska Square.
2015–2016. Under the decommunisation law, mayoral orders renamed 87 places: 55 streets, 25 lanes, 3 passages and 4 squares, and about a hundred with later decisions.
2022–2024. After the full-scale invasion the council renamed 211 place names in the community on 22 December 2022, 179 of them in Sumy itself. Another 11 followed in July 2024, including Svobody Bridge.
2025. The council declared a moratorium on renaming until martial law ends, so Lushpy Avenue and Kozheduba, Chekhova and Mendelieieva streets keep their names for now.
Renaming table
| Now | Formerly | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soborna St | Moskovska (until 1882); Tarasa Shevchenka (1920); Lenina | 1991 | First named Soborna by the city duma in 1882 |
| Petropavlivska St | Radianska (1920); Stalina (1943); Lenina (1961) | 1991 | The former Lenin St was split into Soborna and Petropavlivska |
| Nezalezhnosti Sq | Lenina Sq | 1991 | |
| Shevchenka Ave | Karla Marksa Ave | 1994 | After Taras Shevchenko |
| Voskresenska St | Staro-Moskovska (18th c.); Karla Marksa (1920); Frunze | 2000s | After the Resurrection Church |
| Troitska St | Chervonoarmiiska (1920); Dzerzhynskoho | 2000s | Historical name restored |
| Illinska St | Lenina (1920); Chervonohvardiiska | 2000s | After St Elijah's Church |
| Nyzhnosoborna St | Chervonoarmiiska (1922) | 2000s | Historical name restored |
| Pokrovska St | III Internatsionalu (1920); Zhovtneva | 2009 | After the Intercession Church |
| Pokrovska Sq | Chervona Sq (from 1920) | 2009 | The city's main square |
| Herasyma Kondratieva St | Kirova | — | After the founder of Sumy |
| Ivana Kharytonenka St | Chervonozoriana | 2015 | Sugar magnate and patron |
| Heroiv Krut St | Cherepina | 2016 | The 1918 Battle of Kruty |
| Stepana Bandery St | Baumana | 2016 | |
| Hetmana Mazepy St | Bortsiv Revoliutsii | 2016 | Hetman Ivan Mazepa |
| Panteleimonivska St | Volodarskoho | 2016 | |
| Belhiiska St | Hazety Pravda | 2016 | Pre-1917 name restored |
| Nyzhnolepekhivska St | Shchorsa | 2016 | Historical name restored |
| Illinskyi Ln | Chervonohvardiiskyi | 2016 | Historical name restored |
| Sukhanivskyi Ln | Pionerskyi | 2016 | Historical name restored |
| Heroiv Sumshchyny St | Heroiv Stalinhradu | 2016 | |
| Danyla Halytskoho St | Komsomolska | 2016 | King of Rus' |
| Baranivska St | Chervonopraporna | 2016 | After the Baranivka area |
| Oleksandra Olesia St | Radianska | 2016 | Poet born in Sumy region |
| Yaroslava Mudroho St | Proletarska | 2016 | Grand Prince of Kyiv |
| Andreia Sheptytskoho St | Kominternu | 2016 | Greek Catholic metropolitan |
| Panteleimona Kulisha St | Ostrovskoho | 2016 | Writer |
| Ivana Asmolova St | Urytskoho | 2016 | |
| Davyda Burliuka St | Parkhomenka | 2016 | Futurist painter |
| Rodyny Lyntvarovykh St | Ordzhonikidze | 2016 | Chekhov stayed at their estate |
| Oleksiia Bratushky St | Kuibysheva | 2016 | |
| Oleksandra Anishchenka St | Antonova | 2016 | |
| Heroiv Chornobylia St | Enhelsa | 2016 | |
| Oleny Telihy St | Klary Tsetkin | 2016 | Poet |
| Vasylia Stusa St | Plekhanova | 2016 | Dissident poet |
| Oleksandra Shaparenka St | Rozy Liuksemburh | 2016 | |
| Heroiv Nebesnoi Sotni St | Fedka | 2016 | Those killed on the Maidan |
| Heroiv Nebesnoi Sotni Square | I. F. Fedko Square | 2016 | |
| Mykoly Mikhnovskoho St | Voikova | 2016 | Political thinker |
| Ivana Sirka St | Demiana Korotchenka | 2016 | Cossack otaman |
| Polkovnyka Bolbochana St | Shcherbakova | 2016 | Colonel of the UNR army |
| Ivana Vyhovskoho St | Kaliningradska | 2016 | Hetman |
| Volodymyrska St | Chapaieva | 2016 | |
| Peremohy Ave | Kurskyi Ave | 2022 | |
| Svobody Ave | Prokofieva St | 2022 | |
| Brytanska St | Sudzhanska; Trotskoho; Horkoho | 2022 | In gratitude to the United Kingdom |
| Kholodnohirska Sq | Horkoho Sq (from 1952) | 2022 | |
| Kustovska St | Haharina (from 1961) | 2022 | Earlier name restored |
| Berestovska St | Pushkina | 2022 | |
| Yevhena Chykalenka St | Lva Tolstoho | 2022 | Patron of Ukrainian culture |
| Polska St | Lermontova | 2022 | |
| Lytovska St | Turhenieva | 2022 | |
| Nyzhnovoskresenska St | Kooperatyvna | 2022 | |
| Mahistratska St | Pershotravneva | 2022 | |
| Senatora Makkeina St | Maiakovskoho | 2022 | US Senator John McCain |
| Heroiv Polku Azov St | Yuvileina | 2022 | |
| Ukrainskoi Narodnoi Respubliky St | Kateryny Zelenko | 2022 | |
| Revoliutsii Hidnosti St | Supruna | 2022 | |
| Zbroinykh Syl Ukrainy St | Internatsionalistiv | 2022 | |
| Zakhysnykiv Sumshchyny St | Hertsena | 2022 | |
| Sumskoi Artbryhady St | 20 Rokiv Peremohy | 2022 | |
| Rodyny Alchevskykh St | Vatutina | 2022 | |
| Hetmana Pavla Skoropadskoho St | Levanevskoho | 2022 | |
| Kazymyra Malevycha St | Kutuzova | 2022 | Avant-garde painter |
| Myroslava Skoryka St | Lomonosova | 2022 | Composer |
| Ivana Briukhovetskoho St | Zoi Kosmodemianskoi | 2022 | First rector of Sumy NAU |
| Sumskoi Teroborony St | Kovpaka | 2024 | |
| Ivana Ohiienka St | Chaikovskoho | 2024 | Linguist and metropolitan |
| Symona Petliury St | Chekalina | 2024 | Head of the UNR Directorate |
| Svobody Bridge | Prokofievskyi Bridge | 2024 | |
| Peremohy Square | 50 Years of Victory Square | 2024 | |
| Vitaliia Tereshchenka St | Remisnytska | 2025 | |
| Dmytra Bohachova St | Vodna | 2025 |
'2000s' means the exact year is not given in available sources. English names follow Ukraine's official 2010 transliteration.