'Croydon' is thought to mean the crocus valley, where saffron was grown.
Most philologists derive it from Old English croh, crocus, and denu, valley, suggesting that, like Saffron Walden, Croydon was a centre for growing saffron. It was first recorded in 809 as Crogeden. The station opened in 1839 as Croydon and became West Croydon in 1851, to tell it apart from East Croydon, though it lies north of the town centre.