Alaska baby names are a small, but mighty bunch.
The 49th state to join the union is vast and rugged. Parts are inaccessible by road some of the year – or simply not connected to any major highway. Many visitors explore the coast by cruise ship, spotting whales in the water and moose and bears on land.
It’s the biggest state in terms of area – not just larger than Texas or California or Montana, but larger than all three combined. At the same time, it’s the third-least populated state, behind only Wyoming and Vermont. Because residents are concentrated in and around the largest city, Anchorage, much of the area is even more empty.
INFLUENCES IN ALASKA BABY NAMES
Place names related to the region are influential. While the city of Juneau doesn’t make the Alaska girls’ Top 100, both June and Juniper do. Dawson ranks in the boys’ Top 100. One possible reason? Canada’s Dawson Creek, in neighboring British Columbia, is connected via the Alaska Highway, a mere 1500 miles from Anchorage.
Night sky names feature in Alaska, too. Orion appears in the boys’ Top 100. Aurora makes it all the way into the girls’ Top Five.
The mix of a small population and unique living experience make the most popular names a surprising set.
It features frequently in pop culture, including songs like Maggie Rogers’ 2016 single “Alaska” and television series. Too many reality series to count feature the state, like Deadliest Catch. It’s a popular setting for fiction, too – True Detective: Night Country took the popular anthology to the Arctic Circle.
One interesting note: the state’s population is about 60% white, with another 15% identifying as native Alaskan. Despite this, indigenous names aren’t a significant factor – at least in terms of legal names.
Let’s review the most popular baby names in Alaska, but first … how about the state as a given name?
ALASKA AS A BABY NAME
The state’s name comes from an Aleut expression, alaxsxaq. We tend to translate it as “the mainland.” To be more specific, it means “the object toward which the action of the sea is directed.” Long held as a colony by Russian, they called it Aljaska. Alaska, then, is the Anglicized version of the Russian understanding of the Aleut term.
But has it ever been used as a given name?
Yes, in small numbers.
Alaska debuted in the girls’ Top 100 way back in the year 1915. Exactly why isn’t clear. Anchorage was founded, and a route was announced for the Alaska Railroad. It might have been exactly enough interest in the territory for five girls to receive the name.
Otherwise, the baby name Alaska next appears in data in 1989 – many years later. Peak usage came in 2022, with 102 girls and 8 boys receiving the name.
As of 2024, just 81 girls were named Alaska.
But it has potential.
TOP TEN BOY NAMES IN ALASKA
10. GABRIEL (#43 in the US)
A long-time Top 100 favorite ranks even higher here.
9. LUKE (#34 in the US)
Lucas ranks in the US-wide Top Ten, but in Alaska? It’s Luke in the #9 spot.
8. ELIJAH (#8 in the US)
An Old Testament favorite across the US.
7. JAMES (#5 in the US)
An enduring classic.
6. ELIAS (#25 in the US)
Possibly more popular in Alaska thanks to the Saint Elias Mountains.
5. HENRY (#6 in the US)
Consistent with national popularity trends, Henry is popular in Alaska.
4. NOAH (#2 in the US)
The most popular boy names nationally are the same in the state, just slightly shuffled.
3. LIAM (#1 in the US)
The top name falls to the third spot, but with such small numbers of births, that’s not surprising.
2. THEODORE (#4 in the US)
A classic trending across the country.
1. OLIVER (#3 in the US)
The top choice, given to 52 boys in 2024, was Oliver.
TOP 100 ALASKA BOY NAMES
- Oliver
- Theodore
- Liam
- Noah
- Henry
- Elias
- James
- Elijah
- Luke
- Gabriel
- John
- Maverick
- Benjamin
- Jack
- Levi
- Michael
- Robert
- Arthur*
- Samuel
- Miles
- William
- Asher
- Cooper
- Daniel
- Brooks
- Owen
- Wesley
- Grayson
- Lucas
- Rowan
- August
- Ezra
- Hudson
- Kai
- Wyatt
- Isaac
- Bennett
- Isaiah
- Thomas
- Alexander
- Arlo*
- Dawson*
- Joseph
- Luca
- Mason
- Beau
- Carter
- Jackson
- Mateo
- Matthew
- Roman
- Silas
- Charles
- Orion*
- Vincent
- Waylon
- Aiden
- Eli
- Everett
- Greyson*
- Jacob
- Jasper
- Jonathan
- Joshua
- Myles
- River*
- Ryan
- Christopher
- Dean*
- Ethan
- Josiah
- Leo
- Logan
- Malachi
- Milo*
- Anthony
- Brody*
- Caleb
- Carson*
- Colton
- Emmett*
- Evan
- Ezekiel
- Jason*
- Jaxon
- Jayden
- Julian
- Lincoln
- Luka
- Nolan
- Archer*
- Atlas*
- Colt*
- David
- Hunter
- Jesse*
- Raiden*
- Rhett*
- Richard*
- Sebastian
* name does not appear in the current US Top 100
TOP TEN GIRL NAMES IN ALASKA
10. ELIZABETH (#17 in the US)
Classic Elizabeth slightly outperforms in the state. That’s consistent with a Top 100 featuring Margaret.
9. EVELYN (#8 in the US)
Big across the country.
8. ELEANOR (#14 in the US)
Like Elizabeth, Eleanor ranks higher here than elsewhere.
7. HARPER (#12 in the US)
While surname names aren’t significantly over-represented in Alaska, something about Harper feels right for the state.
6. SOPHIA (#6 in the US)
With a very small Spanish-speaking population, classic Sophia still makes the Top Ten, while Sofia doesn’t even make the Top 100.
5. EMMA (#2 in the US)
As with the boys’ list, many of the most popular names adjust just slightly.
4. VIOLET (#15 in the US)
Nature names seem to perform slightly better in Alaska than some other states, and that tracks with Alaska’s rugged beauty.
3. AURORA (#16 in the US)
A clear case of the state’s natural beauty impacting names. The Northern Lights, or the Aurora Borealis, is visible in the state for much of the year.
2. OLIVIA (#1 in the US)
Olivia falls back to the second spot.
1. AMELIA (#3 in the US)
With 39 births, Amelia takes the top spot. But that’s not a huge shift – after all, Olivia was given to 36 girls, so a small number of choices makes a huge difference here.
TOP 100 ALASKA GIRL NAMES
- Amelia
- Olivia
- Aurora
- Violet
- Emma
- Sophia
- Harper
- Eleanor
- Evelyn
- Elizabeth
- Isabella
- Hazel
- Aria
- Ava
- Mia
- Avery
- Juniper*
- Penelope
- Willow
- Ellie
- Isla
- Charlotte
- Lily
- Lucy
- Scarlett
- Eliana
- Ella
- Everly
- Iris
- Josie
- Nora
- Riley
- Ivy
- Daisy
- Josephine
- Luna
- Sadie
- Chloe
- Ember*
- Emily
- Maya
- Serenity*
- Abigail
- Athena
- Clara
- Lainey
- Maeve
- Paisley
- Vivian
- Wren*
- Alice
- Autumn
- Elena
- Hannah
- June*
- Layla
- Lillian
- Lyla
- Millie
- Naomi
- Ruth*
- Stella
- Addison
- Adeline
- Aliyah*
- Allison
- Ariella*
- Audrey
- Ayla
- Caroline
- Claire
- Delilah
- Emilia
- Freya*
- Gianna
- Haven*
- Hope*
- Kinsley
- Lydia
- Nova
- Remi*
- Ruby
- Rylee*
- Sarah
- Saylor*
- Adalynn*
- Cora*
- Dakota*
- Elliana*
- Eloise
- Elora*
- Elsie*
- Esther*
- Eva*
- Evangeline*
- Gabriella*
- Kaia*
- Liliana
- Madeline
- Margaret*
* name does not appear in the current US Top 100
DISTINCTIVE ALASKA PLACE NAMES
ALEXANDER
Port Alexander is a tiny town and harbor at the tip of Baranof Island. Early in the 20th century, it was one of the busiest fishing ports in the state.
DENALI
Also known as Mount McKinley, this is the highest mountain peak in North America. It sits in Denali National Park and Preserve. Denali comes from the Koyukon language and means something like “the tall one.”
ELIAS
The Saint Elias Montains stretch between Alaska and Canada. They were named by explorer Vitus Bering.
GALENA
So many small villages with just a handful of year-round residents offer intriguing names. Galena takes its name from nearby lead ore mines. Galena is the natural mineral form of lead sulfide.
HOMER
Known for halibut fishing, the small city is also knicknamed “the end of the road.”
KENAI
A city and peninsula, southwest of Anchorage. While it has a long history, as a name it first attracted attention as a character name in 2003 Disney movie Brother Bear. It comes from a Dena’ina word meaning “flat land.”
KODIAK
An island and city, Kodiak also shares its name with the Alaskan brown bear, sometimes called the Kodiak bear. It comes from an Alutiiq word meaning island.
JUNEAU
The capital city takes its name from gold prospector Joe Juneau. While it’s not used as a first name, both June and Juniper rank in the Alaska Top 100.
NIKOLAI
A small city in the Yukon.
RUBY
Located on the Yukon River near the Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge, Ruby is a remote town reachable only by boat or airplane.
NAMES FROM ALASKA HISTORY & SYMBOLS
CICELY
From 1990 to 1995, hit television series Northern Exposure introduced us to the residents of Cicely, Alaska. It’s fictional, so the name appears on this list instead of Alaska place names. The story started when Dr. Joel Fleischman of New York City accepted a post in Alaska in exchange for his medical school tuition.
GOLDEN, GOLDIE
Gold is the official state mineral. More than that, the Alaska Gold Rush shaped much of the state’s late 19th and early 20th century history. Purchased by the United States in 1867, gold was discovered in Sitka, Alaska in 1872. Tens of thousands of settlers flocked to the state in the decades following.
JADE
The official state gem.
NORTH
“North to the Future” is Alaska’s official state motto, and the North Star appears on the flag.
RAVEN
The Alaska Historical Society uses a stylized raven as their symbol. Why? According to AHS, “ravens are widely found, believed to be clever and adaptable and in some Alaska Native cultures, considered the creator of the world and of daylight.”
WILLOW
The willow ptarmigan is the Alaskan state bird. Perhaps it’s too subtle a reference, but it feels easier to wear than the official land mammal: Moose.
FAMOUS ALASKANS
CALLAN
Despite the state’s tiny population, plenty of athletes – including Olympians, especially winter Olympians – call the state home. Snowboarder Callan Chythlook-Sifsof became the first Alaska Native person to compete in the games. She’s Yupik/Inupiaq.
EMMITT
Also known as the “Yukon Fox,” Emmitt Peters Sr. was a hunter, trapper, and fisherman who won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1975 as a rookie. He set a new record, besting the prior one by nearly six days. While he hadn’t competed previously, Peters grew up in isolated Ruby, where mushing sled dogs was transportation, not sport.
ERNEST
Arctic explorer Ernest Leffingwell traveled the Alaskan arctic coast by sled dog and boat between 1906 and 1914, mapping the coastline.
GUNNAR and BALTO
Sled dog Balto remains famous a century after his heroic acts – as does his human. In 1925, Gunnar Kaasen and Balto saved the city of Nome, Alaska from a diptheria outbreak. Born in Norway, Kaasen came to Alaska to mine for gold earlier in the 1900s. Mushing a dog sled was one of the few forms of transporation available for much of the year. Under incredibly challenging conditions, Balto and Kaasen delivered the serum ahead of schedule, saving countless lives. They became famous, and a statue of Balto stands in Central Park – though the dog is not named, and the plaque is dedicated to “the indominitable spirit of the sled dogs.”
JACK, LONDON
Born in California and part of a San Francisco literary circle, Jack London became a successful novelist and an international celebrity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He spent a year in the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, and set some of his most enduring tales there, including The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and the short story “To Build a Fire.”
JEWEL
Singer-songwriter Jewel scored back-to-back hits with “Who Will Save Your Soul” and “You Were Meant for Me” in the mid-1900s. The Alaska native’s full name is Jewel Kilcher. Her family, including her father Atz, live on a homestead in remote Homer. For over a decade, their lifestyle was profiled on the Discovery Channel’s Alaska: The Last Frontier. Other family members’ names include Atz Lee, August, Bonnie, Charlotte, Eivin, Eve, Jane, Otto, and Shane.
LIBBY
The first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was Libby Riddles – full name Liberty Clarissa. She won in 1985.
MAC
Alaska Airlines owes its start to Linious McGee – better known as Mac. The Indiana native made his way to Alaska as a stowaway during the Great Depression. He bought his first airplane to support his fur trading business, but ultimately became more interested in managing his planes.
PETER
The future saint was born on Kodiak Island as Cungagnaq or Chunagnak, a member of either the Alutiiq peoples. He took the name Peter when he was baptized into the Orthodox faith by missionaries. Legend tells that he was captured, tortured, and killed by Spanish soldiers in 1815, though the exact details are murky. He’s considered a martyr and saint in the Orthodox Church, where he is referred to as Saint Peter the Aleut.
SARAH, TRACK, BRISTOL, WILLOW, PIPER, TRIG
Former Alaska governor became a national figure when she ran on the Republican ticket with John McCain in 2008. She became a controversial figure, but also raised the state’s profile. From 2010 to 2011, she and her family, including former husband Todd, appeared in Sarah Palin’s Alaska, following their life and travels in the state.
SEGUNDO
Segundo is a Spanish name, and Segundo Llorente Villa was a Spanish Jesuit. But he spent 40 years as a missionary in the most remote parts of Alaska. In 1960, he was elected to the Alaska State Legislature – which makes him the state’s first Catholic priest elected to office.
SIG
Reality television loves Alaska. Much of that comes down to long-running series Deadliest Catch, following the lives of commercial crab fisherman. Sigurd Hansen is captain of the Northwestern. His grandfather and father did the same, and Sig’s daughter, Mandy, has served as his relief captain. Mandy’s daughter bears a name consistent with this legacy: Sailor.
TRAJAN
A graduate of East Anchorage High School, Trajan Langdon played at Duke, in the NBA, and in Europe before retiring. He’s now president of basketball operations for the Detroit Pistons.
WILDS
During the early 20th century, Army officer Wilds Preston Richardson explored Alaska, serving as geographer for the territory.
WYATT
It’s not just Alaska natives that left their mark on the state. We think of Wyatt Earp as part of the American West, a sheriff famous for the gunfight at the OK Corral. But Earp spent time in Alaska during the Gold Rush, too.
VITUS
Danish explorer Vitus Bering originally documented the strait that now bears his name; in 1741, he led a Russian expedition to the area.
