Telephone exchange names

During the early years of telephone service, communities that required more than 10,000 telephone numbers, whether dial service was available or not, utilized exchange names to distinguish identical numerics for different customers.

When dial service was introduced (typically during the period of 1910 to 1970), in such multiple exchange communities, customers would normally dial the first two or three letters of the exchange name, followed by the numeric digits.

Exchange name formatting in Europe

Two of the most notable cities using the first three letters, four digits system, known as 3L-4N or the Director telephone system, were Paris and London, which introduced it in 1922. Telephone directories showed the first three letters of the exchange in bold caps; for example, a subscriber's number on London's Whitehall exchange was shown thus: "WHItehall 1212" (the number of Scotland Yard).

The other main UK conurbations followed suit, namely Manchester in 1930 (e.g., DEAnsgate 3414, the number for Kendals department store), Birmingham (in 1931), Glasgow (in 1937), and later Liverpool and Edinburgh. While Director automatic switching was being rolled out across the major cities, some exchanges in their areas were still manual, and the subscriber's directory entry had the exchange name in caps but not bold. For example, when dialing "SANderstead 1234", the caller then dialed the "SAN" and asked the operator for the number (1234 in this case).

The switchover to all figure dialling began in the UK in 1966 following the successful conversion of telephone numbers in Paris, in 1963, which until then had also used the 3L-4N combinations—famously for example at POMpadour (which represented the numbers 706), LOUvre (later 508), and PIGalle (which was replaced by 744).

Exchange name formatting in the United States

The United States used a slight variation. New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago first used the 3L-4N system but replaced that with the so-called "2-5 numbers" or 2L-5D, two letters and five digits (for example a number on the Pennsylvania exchange would be shown as PEnnsylvania 6-5000). This became the North American standard as customer-dialed long distance service (Direct Distance Dialing) came into use through the 1950s.

As demand for phone service grew, the supply of assignable phone numbers began to dwindle and several North American area codes were split to enable reuse of numbers. As the growth accelerated, the decision was made to switch to All-Number Calling (ANC), since there were several unpronounceable letter combinations that were not being used. This allowed more efficient use of the number supply; only two area code splits were necessary between 1962 and 1981. All-Number Calling was phased in slowly from 1958. Most areas had adopted it fully by the late 1960s, though it did not become universal until the 1980s.

The standard format for displaying telephone numbers that used exchange names was to capitalize the first few letters if they were dialed. Some European examples were given above; in the US, examples include:

• MUrray Hill 5-9975 (one of the Ricardos' numbers on I Love Lucy. Note that the H in Hill, although not dialed, is still capitalized)
• ENglewood 3-1234 (typical North American, in New Jersey or continent-wide after about 1950)
• BALdwin 6828 (typical urban North American before move to two-digit exchange names)
• MArket 7032 (typical urban North American six-digit phone number, phased out in 1950s)

In print, such as on business cards or in advertisements, the full exchange name was often abbreviated, with a period used to indicate the abbreviated form, an example being:

• TEmpleton 1-6400 would appear as TE.1-6400.

If they were not dialed, it was more common to capitalize only the first letter of each part of the exchange name (e.g., "Metcalfe 6000" or "Fairmont 3335").

Such numbers could be of non-standard length, simply because they were not dialed, but quoted to an operator who plugged into the appropriate line.

During the 1950s, cities using six-digit numbers migrated to seven-digit. Typically, several six-digit exchanges were co-located in one building already, with new ones added as old ones had filled up. They were then combined into a new seven-digit number exchange.

Exchange name formatting in Canada

An example from Montreal, Quebec, on August 4, 1957:

• WIlbank became WEllington 2
• WEllington became WEllington 3 (a rare example of keeping the exchange name)
• FItzroy became WEllington 5
• GLenview became WEllington 7
• VEndome became DUpont 7
• HEmlock became POntiac 7
• TRenmore became POntiac 8
• HArbour became VIctor 5
• MArquette became VIctor 9

The use of letters in exchange names resulted in the placement of letters on the telephone dial, even outside the areas using the letter/number combinations. Some areas at first used original letter schemes (notably Calgary, Alberta) until later standardization within North America. In Europe and elsewhere, other standards applied, notably in the placement of the letters O, Q and Z.

Phase-in of All-Number Calling

All-number calling was intiated as the number of private telephone lines and numbers began to increase in the post World War II period. AT&T anticipated that with the introduction of direct long distance dialing with the aid of area codes, it would be difficult to continue to come up with usable exchange names. As area codes were introduced in the mid 1960s AT&T tried in earnest to switch over to an all number system. However, the switch was very slow in its implementation, taking the better part of the 1970s and even into the early 1980s to complete. Thus, telephone exchange names were still be given out with telephone numbers well after the introduction of area codes.

AT&T employed a gradual strategy to ease the transition for the customers. Originally, directory listings were printed with the exchange names spelled out in full, e.g.

• Jones John 123 Anystreet............BUtterfield 5-1212
• Jones John Paul 5 Revolution Rd......ANdrew 3-2368

First stage was to print only the dialed letters:

• Jones John 123 Anystreet....................BU 5-1212
• Jones John Paul 5 Revolution Rd..........AN 3-2368

Second stage was to assign a "Selected Letters" combination in communities being converted from five- or fewer dialed digits to seven; no name was associated with the letters:

• Ramsay Betty 12 Connecticut Rd...........LT 1-5225

Third stage was to assign ANC to smaller communities converting to seven-digit numbers.

• Appleby Charles 1210 MacGill Lane.........553-0086

AT&T then proceeded to convert existing named exchanges to ANC, starting in smaller communities. No significant opposition arose until conversion began in major cities. In some cities such as San Francisco, opposition was organized; the opposition group in San Francisco was called the Anti Digit Dialing League, of which S. I. Hayakawa was a notable member. The opposition forced AT&T to slow down the conversion, and names did not totally disappear in major cities until 1978 (New York City). Philadelphia had named exchanges in the Bell of Pennsylvania telephone book as late as 1983, long after AT&T had hoped to complete the conversion. Even today, however, it is not uncommon in New York City to see a new panel truck with a telephone number such as "JA 6-xxxx" painted on its side. A company in Philadelphia still letters its dump trucks with the DE 3 exchange as of 2009. Also, a company in Kansas City, Missouri still shows commercials using the WE Westport exchange in its phone number.

Bell Canada, Alberta Government Telephones and B.C. Tel completed most conversions of existing numbers during the first half of the 1960s. Typically in larger communities, conversions would be timed with issues of the telephone directory.

For example, in London, Ontario, three conversions took place starting in February 1962 and completing in September 1963. GEneral 2, 3 and 9 were converted first; later GLadstone 1 and 5, and finally GEneral 4 and 8.

Telephone exchange names in popular culture

George Clooney's character, Jack Taylor, in the movie One Fine Day explains that his mobile number is "PEnnsylvania 3317".

At least four popular songs use old telephone exchanges in their names: "PEnnsylvania 6-5000" (PE 6-5000), recorded by Glenn Miller, "BEechwood 4-5789", by The Marvelettes, "LOnesome 7-7203 by Hawkshaw Hawkins, and "ECho Valley 2-6809" by The Partridge Family. PEnnsylvania 6-5000 was later spoofed in the Bugs Bunny cartoon Transylvania 6-5000.

The title of BUtterfield 8, the 1935 John O'Hara novel whose film adaptation won Elizabeth Taylor an Academy Award for Best Actress, refers to the exchange of the characters' telephone numbers.

Comic singer Allan Sherman includes a song, "The Let's All Call Up AT&T and Protest to the President March" on his 1963 album "My Son, the Celebrity." In this song he suggests that people take their protest against all-digit dialing straight to the top.

Satirist Stan Freberg included a sketch on the conversion to all-number calling on his 1966 album "Freberg Underground Show #1" (Capitol Records T/ST-2551), with the song "They Took Away Our Murray Hills."

The number RIchmond 9-5171 was the box office number for the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles for most of the arena's existence.

In the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, several examples of "old style" exchange numbers can be seen, such as on the business card handed to the men's-only hotel clerk by a police officer. This suggests either that even as late as the early 1980s, the move away from exchange names was not yet 100% complete, or that the film's director sought to convey an 'old-school' atmosphere to the film.

In the movie American Graffiti, disc jockey Wolfman Jack mentions phone number "DIamond-3132".

The Simpsons often shows the title family's number as KL-5 xxxx (it has been quoted differently in various episodes), which follows the convention of using 555 numbers in fictitious TV and film portrayals. In at least one episode, the phone book is shown to have all numbers listed as KLondike 5-xxxx.

Similarly, in Seinfeld the characters often give telephone numbers beginning with KL-5.

The song "Promised Land", written by Chuck Berry and also performed by Elvis Presley, has the Los Angeles operator being asked to connect to Norfolk, Virginia number TIdewater 4-1009 (sung as Tidewater four ten oh nine).

In the film “The Godfather,” Michael Corleone asks an operator to connect him with Long Beach 4-5620, presumably the number for the main house on the Corleone compound.

In the 2011 video game "L.A. Noire", there are many references to named exchange numbers in the LA area. Some numbers are of prime importance to the plot.

See also

• Phonewords
• Telephone keypad

External links

• Privateline.com Telephone History: EXchange Names
• Telephone EXchange Name Project
• Official listing of Ma Bell's recommended names
• Old London Telephone Exchange Names
• Notes on Nationwide Dialing, AT&T - 1955. Section II Appendix A is a List of Suitable Central Office Names