Adopted 6 February 1948 on Hydrographic Services Chart #3805, as established on Geological Survey Map #176A, 1916. Named in association with Yakoun River.

Source: BC place name cards & correspondence, and/or research by BC Chief Geographer & Geographical Names Office staff, file Q.2.45.

Named in 1910 by regional hydrographer Lt Cdr Philip Musgrave after the Yakoun River, which flows north into this bay. QCI historian Kathleen Dalzell gives three possible translations for the Haida First Nation word: “straight point,” “in the middle” or “on the east.” The river is the largest in [Haida Gwaii], with major salmon and steelhead runs, and was once covered with majestic forests, now extensively logged. The Yakoun valley was the site of the famed 300-year-old Golden Spruce, an unusually, yellow-needled variety that was cut down by a vandal in 1997. Nearby Yakoun Lake is also named for the river. The alternative spelling Yakun and Yah-koon are sometimes seen for these features. The bay is an important sanctuary for waterfowl.

Source: Scott, Andrew; "The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names"; Harbour Publishing, Madeira Park, 2009, pages 654-655.