'Stratford' means the ford on the Roman road.
Old English stræt, a Roman road, is our word ‘street’; the name is first recorded in 1067 as Strætforda. Here the road from London to Colchester crossed the River Lea. Bow, across the river, was also first called Stratford; after Queen Matilda had a bow-shaped bridge built there in 1110 it became Stratford-atte-Bow, then Bow. This side was also called Stratford Langthorne, after a distinctive thorn tree.