This naming request, submitted by the Improvement District Manager, C.R. Dompnier, was the unanimous choice of the Advisory Council and was the most popular choice among local residents. The Advisory Council held a Name the I.D. contest, and Badlands was chosen because it denotes the ruggedness of the area; ever since the time of the occupation of the First Nations peoples, the area has been commonly known as the Badlands. The name is not duplicated in Alberta. The name was officially approved 5 May 1987.