Named after the street Crouch Hill; 'crouch' is Middle English for a cross.
The street runs between Crouch End and Stroud Green, and shares its 'crouch' with Crouch End, recorded as Crouche End in 1465. The Hornsey Historical Society says a wooden cross stood at the road junction where the Clock Tower now is; Hidden London says it may have been a boundary post between two manors.