Xi Cephei bore the traditional names "Kurhah", "Alkirdah" or "Al Kirduh", the name coming from Qazvini who gave "Al Ḳurḥaḥ" ("القرحة" "al-qurhah"), an Arabic word Ideler translated as a white spot, or blaze, in the face of a horse. Allen indicates that Ideler felt this was not a proper name for a star, and suggested the name "Al Ḳirdah" (ألقردة "al qírada" "the Ape"). In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN decided to attribute proper names to individual stars rather than entire multiple systems. It approved the name "Kurhah" for the component Xi Cephei Aa on 12 September 2016 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names.