 The name was first recorded in 1002 as strondway , then in 1185 as Stronde and in 1220 as la Stranda . It is formed from the Old English word ' strond ' , meaning the edge of a river . Initially it referred to the shallow bank of the once much wider Thames , before the construction of the Victoria Embankment . The name was later applied to the road itself . In the 13th century it was known as ' Densemanestret ' or ' street of the Danes ' , referring to the community of Danes in the area . 
