Its name came from Anglo-Saxonæt þǽm éastan hæge = "at the eastern hedged enclosure".
It is about 500 metres north of the slightly larger village of Great Munden. It is at Ordnance Survey grid reference TL 360 246.
The possibility of changing the name of the village from Nasty to a more friendly name has recently been discussed, however no changes are planned in the near future.