In ancient times, the area in which the priory was founded was known simply as Cet, that being the Brythonic word for 'woodland'. Following settlement of Anglo Saxon tribes in the area, the suffix 'wood' was added to the name to form a compound word of British and Anglo-Saxon origins: a common occurrence in this part of the country (see, for example, Brill). In 949 the area was known as Cetwuda.
In 1460, owing to its poverty, Chetwode Priory was dissolved, and annexed to the nearby abbey of Nutley in Long Crendon. This led to the first recognition of Chetwode as a village rather than just a priory.
There is a manor at Chetwode that has stayed in the same family from the time of the Domesday Book in 1086 through to the present day. In 1086 the manor was owned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux and managed for him by Robert de Thain; the present incumbent of the manor, who has adopted the family name of Chetwode, is descended from Robert de Thain by the male line.