What's your favorite name for our new baby killer whale?
by SeaWorld
In a Facebook poll of 2,478 respondents, 54.7% chose “Makaio - Hawaiian for "gift of God"”. How we count
Makaio - Hawaiian for "gift of God"
54.7%1,356
Nico - Greek for "victory of the people"
28.5%707
Haruki - Japanese for "shining brightly"
16.7%415
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Makaio opened at 58% and settled at 55% for nearly a month straight — day after day, the margin barely moved. This wasn't a fight; it was a settled question the field kept re-confirming. Final count: 1,356 votes, more than Nico and Haruki combined.
The name pulled from everywhere: leading in the US, UK, Canada, Belgium and the Netherlands alike. Only a scattering of smaller markets — Puerto Rico, Brazil, Czechia — broke the other way, and even there it was single votes deciding the split.
- Steady margin · Lead held between 54-58% every single day of 34
- Combined vote beater · 1,356 votes topped Nico and Haruki's totals put together
- Geographic sweep · Won the top 5 countries by volume outright