Around 1430, this lane was recorded in the hereditary register (Erbbuch) as "via retro in aede," and as late as 1643 it was still listed simply as "via" (street). On Schröder's city map of around 1800, it appears as "Kirchgang" (church passage). From 1817, the lane was called "Totengasse" (Dead Man's Lane) after the adjoining cemetery. In 1901, this name was changed to St. Barbaragasse, after the neighboring St. Barbara's Church.

For the longest time, the street bore no proper name at all. A later designation, "Erichgang," derived from a personal name. The two most recent names reflect the lane's location beside St. Barbara's Church. Even today, the Polish name translates as St. Barbara Lane.

History