'Wood Green' was the green by Tottenham Wood.
The name goes back to Woodlegh or Woodlea, a Saxon word for open ground near a wood, found in a document of 1256 about a land grant. Wood Green itself is first recorded in 1502, as a clearing on the edge of Tottenham Wood. In 1619 its houses stood beside the New River or faced the green, which was backed by the slopes of the wood.