The Anaktuvuk River heads at glacier, in Endicott Mountains, then flows north 135 miles to Colville River, 7 miles north of its junction with Chandler River, Arctic Slope. The Eskimo name was reported in 1901 by W. C. Mendenhall, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as Anukturuk and corrected to its present spelling by W. J. Peters and F. C. Schrader, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the same year. The name appears to be applied by the Eskimo to the pass at the stream's head (USGS).
<nowiki>Anaktuvuk; Anaktuvuk (rivière); Anaktuvuk River; riu Anaktuvuk; Ríu Anaktuvuk; Анактувук; Anaktuvuk River; Afon Anaktuvuk; Abhainn Anaktuvuk; Anaktuvuk River; نهر اناكتوڤوك; Anaktuvuk; Anaktuvuk River; río de Estados Unidos; cours d'eau d'Alaska, États-Unis; נהר; rivier in de Verenigde Staten; アミリカ合衆国ぬ川; річка в Сполучених Штатах Америки; Nebenfluss des Colville River; نهر; abhainn sna Stáit Aontaithe; գետ ԱՄՆ֊ում; 美国河流; river in the United States of America; Anukturuk River</nowiki>