One of the earliest references to Stanley Street is in the Belfast News-Letter on Tuesday 18 July 1843 which gives details of a riot in the area. One possiblity is that the street was named after Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869). He became known as Lord Stanley from 1834 to 1851. He became the Chief Secretary in 1830. On three separate occasions he served as British `Prime Minister (1852, 1858–1859, and 1866–1868).
There are no longer any properties in Stanley Street and it is, therefore, not listed in some sources such as Royal Mail Postcode Finder.