The station was opened on August 2, 1909, as part of the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (H&M), originally constructed to connect to the Erie Railroad's Pavonia Terminal. The capitals of the station's columns are adorned with the "E", and recall its original name, Erie. After the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 1960s takeover of the system, the station was renamed Pavonia, or Pavonia Avenue, itself named for the 17th New Netherland settlement of Pavonia. In 1988, the station became known as Pavonia/Newport to reflect the re-development of the former railyards along the banks of the Hudson River to residential, retail, and recreational uses as Newport. In 2010, the name became Newport.