'Langley' means the long clearing.
It comes from Middle English lang, long, and lea, a wood or clearing. Langley was in fact made up of several clearings – George Green, Horsemoor Green, Middle Green, Sawyers Green and Shreding Green – which merged into one village around the parish church. Its other name, Langley Marish, recalls Christiana de Marecis, who held the manor for a short time in the reign of Edward I.