'Stepney' means the landing place of a man called Stybba.
It was first recorded around 1000 as Stybbanhyð; hyð became the modern hithe, a landing place, and this riverside one is thought to have been at Ratcliff. Stepney Green began in the 15th century as a street of houses off Mile End Road, and the park beside it is a remnant of common land once called Mile End Green.