Northern Sami language
The "Altaelva" literally means the "Alta River" in English. The Northern Sami language version of the name is and the Kven language version of the name is . The part of the river that is upstream (south) of the Alta dam is also called "Kautokeinoelva", meaning the "Kautokeino River", since that part of the river lies in Kautokeino. That part of the river is also known as or in the Northern Sami language.