'Acton' means the farm by the oak trees.
It comes from Old English āc, oak, and tūn, an enclosure, later a farm. The name was first recorded in 1181, borne by a witness called Viel of Acton. South Acton was built up with small houses, mostly for laundry workers; by the end of the 19th century it had about 170 laundries, which earned it the nickname 'Soapsuds Island'.