'Norwood' is a contraction of 'North Wood' – the Great North Wood.
That name was used for the hilly, wooded area north of Croydon, a natural oak forest that also gave its name to Upper and West Norwood. The station opened in 1839 as Jolly-sailor, the name of a local inn. It became Norwood in 1846 and Norwood Junction by 1856.