It bore the traditional name "Kochab", which appeared in the Renaissance and has an uncertain meaning. It may be from or , both of which are broadly used to describe a celestial body and can be translated as 'planet' or 'star'. However, it is more likely derived from or , a name applied to Theta Ursae Majoris. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN's first bulletin of July 2016 included a table of the first two batches of names approved by the WGSN, which included "Kochab" for this star.