Denali

USGS Listed Name: Denali

Variant names: Bolshoy, Bulshaia Gora, Bulshaya Gora, Bulshoe, Churchill Peaks, Deenaalee, Deenadhee, Deenadheet, Deenalee, Deghilaay Ce'e, Deghilaay Ke'e, Delaykah, Denadhe, Denagadh, Denaze, Dengadh, Dengadhe, Dengadhi, Dengadhiy, Densmore's Mountain, Densmores Peak, Dghelaay Ce‘e, Dghelaay Ke'e, Dghelay Ka‘a, Dghili Ka‘a, Diinaadhi, Diinaadhii, Diinaadhiit, Diinaalii, Diinaazii, Diineezi, Din-al-ee, Din-az-ee, Doleika, Doleyka, Mount Doleika, Mount McKinley, Tenada, Tenda, Tennaly, To-lah-gah, Traleika, Traleyka (citations for all variant names can be found here)

North America’s highest peak has been called many things by many people. It’s currently known as Denali, a derivative of the Koyukon Athabaskan “Deenaalee,” which is best translated as “The High One.” Many traditional place names comment on characteristics of a geographic feature, and Denali is no exception. There are at least five Athabaskan languages surrounding the mountain, each with its own place name. Languages to the north and west of the mountain call it by a name that translates to “the tall one,” while those to the south of the mountain use names that mean “mountain-big.”

The U.S. federal government recognized this peak as Mount McKinley from 1896-2015. The name was given by prospector William Dickey celebrating William McKinley of Ohio, the 25th President of the United States. Naming controversies ensued for decades, and in 1975 the State of Alaska petitioned the US Board on Geographic Names to change the name officially to Denali. This effort was blocked by the Ohio congressional delegation for the next forty years, until a Secretarial Order issued under the Obama Administration officially “unrenamed” the peak to Denali in 2015.

Read more about the naming history and controversy of North America’s highest peak here and here.