English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Croydon

Major Settlement in the Parish of Croydon

Historical Forms

  • Crogedene 809 BCS328 c.1250
  • Crogdene c.871 BCS529 c.1250
  • Crogdæne 964–95 BCS1132 c.1200
  • Croindene 1086 DB
  • Croindena 1169 P
  • Croindene 1225 Ass 1232 Pat
  • Croyndene 1241,1259 Ass late13th BM
  • Croyndenne 1347 Ass
  • Croienden c.1150 FW
  • Croyendene, Croyendone 1255 Ass
  • Croyendene 1271 Pat
  • Croyendone 1323 Ass
  • Croindon(e) 1229 FF 1263 Ass 1276 Ch 1279 Ass
  • Croyndon 1291 Tax 1292 Ipm 1294 BM 1307 Ass 1351 Seldxl
  • Croydon(e) 1233–52 Ch 1263,1304,1307,1312 Ass
  • Croidon 1291 Tax 1314 Ch
  • Cruendon 1242 Cl
  • Cruindon 1246 Pat
  • Croydene 1261 BM
  • Crowdon 1553 SACiv
  • Croudon 1548 LRMB

Etymology

The name is a compound of OE  croh , 'saffron' and denu, 'valley.' Cf. the names le Saffron Garden 1579, Safforne Garden 1599 in the parish (Endowments). To explain the spellings with medial n or en , Dr Bradley suggested an alternative OE  form (æt þǣm ) crogigan dene from an OE  adj. crogig , derived from croh , cf. Crendon Lane (PN Bk 204). For such double forms cf. Waddington supra 46.