The hill is believed to be named after a sandy ford.
The names Sanford and Saundfordhill appear in 13th-century records; the spelling Stamford Hill is found from 1675. The ford was where the originally Roman road, Ermine Street, today's A10, crossed the Hackney Brook on the southern edge of the hill. Roque's map of 1745 shows a bridge in its place, called Stamford Bridge.