The name Widford comes from the old English word 'wid' meaning willow tree and the word 'ford'.

The Widford commons were extensive and were enclosed under an award of 1856. There was a wood called Lily Wood to the west of the village which was cut down in the late 19th century.

Between 1870 and 1872, John Marius Wilson described Widford as: "a parish, with a village, in Ware district, Herts; near the Buntingford railway, 4 miles E by N of Ware. It has a post-office under Ware and a r. station."