The village name 'Linford' is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'ford where maple trees grow'. In the Domesday Book of 1086 the village was recorded as Linforde. The prefix 'Little' was added to distinguish it from Great Linford.
Little Linford was initially a hamlet in the parish of Great Linford, though the two were separated when the latter was annexed into Milton Keynes. The parish church is dedicated to St Leonard.