 The borough is said to have been named for Walling Van Winkle (1650–1725), who built a home in the future borough.According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.034 square miles (2.679 km2), including 0.983 square miles (2.546 km2) of land and 0.051 square miles (0.132 km2) of water (4.93%).The borough borders Carlstadt, East Rutherford, Garfield, South Hackensack and Wood-Ridge in Bergen County, and the city of Passaic in Passaic County across the Passaic River.