The square was devised by Nicolau Rubió i Tudurí in the 1930s as part of the urban reform envisioned for Barcelona, under the specific name of Proyecto de Urbanización de la Avenida de Alfonso XIII, entre la calle Urgel, desde el Palacio Real hasta el límite del término municipal ("urbanisation project for Alfonso XIII Avenue, between Carrer d'Urgell, from Palau Reial to city government limits"). The square's name has been changed in repeated occasions over time until the transition to democracy (1975-1978). In 1979 its current name was adopted.