"Nazco River" adopted in the 1909 Gazetteer of British Columbia. Spelling changed to "Nazko River" 31 December 1930 in the 1930 Gazetteer of Canada, as labelled on BC Map 1G, 1916. Confirmed 4 March 1947 as an established name and in Ottawa File, OBF 2208 (Canada Southwest 1/4).

Source: BC place name cards & correspondence, and/or research by BC Chief Geographer & Geographical Names Office staff.

Nazko is not the proper Carrier name for the community of Nazko, the proper Carrier name is Ndazkoh – Ndaz meaning from the south, koh – meaning River flowing from the south. (Information from the Quesnel Museum website).

Source: BC place name cards & correspondence, and/or research by BC Chief Geographer & Geographical Names Office staff.

This is the name that the Carrier Indians applied to the whole of the West Road River, but which the whites apply only to the major tributary coming from the south. Father Morice wrote that there are two possible translations for Nazko-“the river [that] flows ‘across’ the land into the Fraser,” and “Cross River, the river one has to cross in order to go north or south.”

Source: Akrigg, Helen B. and Akrigg, G.P.V; "British Columbia Place Names"; Sono Nis Press, Victoria 1986 /or University of British Columbia Press 1997, page 211.