Old Warden occurs in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Wardone; it has had a variety of spellings down the years, including: Wardun (1158-c.1230); Warden (1215-1444); Waredon (1227-1262); Wardoun (1383-1393); Old Wardon (1495); and Worden (1785-1798). The name probably comes from the Old English weard-dún or "watch hill". A hamlet called Warden Strette (located opposite the abbey gate, rather than the present-day Warden Street off Bedford Road) was first recorded in 1537 and termed Wardon in le Strete in 1549.