Tottenham Court Road was recorded as Tottenheale c.1000 and is derived from the personal name of William de Tottenhall's land and manor which, at the time of the Norman Conquest, belonged to the Deanery of St. Paul's Cathedral. A later name was Toten Hall which lay at the north-west corner of the present road. There was an ancient court here, much of which was demolished in 1765 to make way for the Euston Road. By the 17th century the place had become a tea garden and public amusement centre. During the early 19th century the road was built up when Bloomsbury to the east was being developed, although much was reconstructed in the early 1900s.

The Central London Railway station was opened as TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD on 30 July 1900; the adjacent Charing Cross Euston & Hampstead Railway station was opened as OXFORD STREET on 22 June 1907 and re-named TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD on 9 March 1908 (see also Goodge Street).