aka

American  

[ey-key-ey] / ˈeɪˈkeɪˈeɪ /

Or a.k.a.,

abbreviation

1. also known as: (used to indicate another name or alias used by a person).

   According to police records he is Joe Smith aka “Baby Face Smith” and Joseph Smathers.

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a.k.a. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. also known as

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aka ² British  

/ ˈɑːkə /

noun

1. a vine, Metrosideros scandens , found in New Zealand

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aka Cultural  

1. An abbreviation meaning “also known as.” It is primarily used by law enforcement officials to specify an alias: “John Smith, aka Jonathan Jones.”

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The abbreviation, which also appears as AKA and a.k.a., is often used figuratively and facetiously: “my cousin, aka the worst gossip in the neighborhood.”

Etymology

Origin of aka

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Harding, aka Cat Cavelli, is a singer-songwriter and native of Ireland.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

It "fails on the actual main goal: creating one true standard across Europe that creates legal certainty for our startups", since it defers legal authority to national courts, "aka 27 flavours of interpretation", it said.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

While hard-disk drives are still cheaper, newer solid-state drives, aka SSDs have faster data transfer speeds and are less prone to fail, because they have no moving parts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

Guest: Mark Fischbach aka Markiplier, YouTuber, filmmaker and director of “Iron Lung.”

From Slate • Feb. 10, 2026

In August 1993, after more than fifty years, Ruthie, aka Ruth McBride Jordan, aka Rachel Deborah Shilsky, finally faced the ghosts of her pasts.

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride

Related Words

• assumed name
• moniker
• pseudonym
• stage name