The hamlet's toponym combines Brittonic and Old EnglishGermanic origins, as is common with other places in this part of the country (see Brill and Bow Brickhill). It means "cairn hill", cairn being a Celtic word for a ceremonial hill or pile of stones. The Domesday Book of 1086 records the hamlet as Credendone.
^"Ankers, Ronald Thomas". International Bomber Command Centre - Losses Database. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.