The name of the station comes from the junction named Croix-Rouge, situated at the north-eastern end of the Rue du Cherche-Midi. The name had previously been in existence for several centuries. It is unrelated to the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (generally referred to in French as the
Croix-Rouge), founded in 1863. The station was closed on 2 September 1939, with France's entry into the
Second World War and the mobilisation of staff from the
Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris (CMP). It was reopened after the
Liberation but then closed again due to its proximity to the station
Sèvres–Babylone. The bus stop at the same location retained the Croix-Rouge name until 31 December 2005, when it was renamed Michel-Debré, after
Michel Debré, first Prime Minister under the
Fifth Republic and co-author of the
Constitution of France. Apart from the street sign Carrefour de la Croix-Rouge at the junction, there is therefore no longer any official trace of the name.