Canonical announced the official codename for the next major Ubuntu release, 26.04 LTS. Yes, the codename for the Ubuntu 26.04 LTS release has been revealed as Resolute Raccoon.
Canonical confirmed the name via their official @ubuntu account on X, continuing the tradition of pairing a unique adjective with an animal.
This new name carries special significance for the community, marking the start of a new development cycle.
Furthermore, as a Long Term Support (LTS) release, Ubuntu 26.04 is going to an important release. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is scheduled to arrive in April 2026.
Table of Contents
A Choice That Honors a Hero
The selection of Resolute Raccoon is deeply poignant for the Ubuntu community.
A long-time Canonical employee and a former Debian and Ubuntu release manager Steve Langasek chose this codename. Sadly, he passed away at the dawn of 2025.
The Ubuntu community intends to make this specific release one to truly remember in his honor. Therefore, the Ubuntu 26.04 LTS release serves as a tribute to him.
Meaning of Resolute Raccoon
Ubuntu has a long tradition of pairing a distinct adjective with an animal for its release codenames.
- Resolute means determined and unwavering. This name certainly fits, because millions of users will rely on this LTS release for many years to come.
- Raccoons are wonderfully resourceful and resilient creatures. They are known for their great dexterity and problem-solving skills. Consequently, this adaptable animal is a fitting mascot for a Linux distribution. Ubuntu continues to dominate the server space while also remaining popular on the desktop.
The Story Behind Ubuntu's Adjective–Animal Naming Tradition
Canonical has a long-standing tradition of naming each Ubuntu release with a codename made up of an adjective and an animal, both starting with the same letter.
This tradition began with Ubuntu 4.10 "Warty Warthog" in 2004, the very first public release. Since then, every version follows this alliterative pattern — an adjective that conveys a positive trait (like "Breezy", "Trusty", or "Noble") paired with an animal (like "Badger", "Tahr", or "Numbat"). The naming scheme makes each release memorable and gives it a friendly identity beyond just numbers.
The pattern is alphabetical, though Canonical sometimes skips letters.
Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu's founder, personally announces each codename. He's said the names are meant to be "fun and memorable", while reflecting the spirit or goal of the release — for example, "Precise" for reliability, "Bionic" for modernization, or "Noble" for long-term stability.
Ubuntu Releases and Codenames (4.10 → 26.04 LTS)
Here's the full list from Ubuntu 4.10 up to 26.04 LTS, with codenames.
| Version | Codename | Notes / LTS status |
|---|---|---|
| 4.10 | Warty Warthog | first Ubuntu public release |
| 5.04 | Hoary Hedgehog | interim |
| 5.10 | Breezy Badger | interim |
| 6.06 LTS | Dapper Drake | first LTS |
| 6.10 | Edgy Eft | interim |
| 7.04 | Feisty Fawn | interim |
| 7.10 | Gutsy Gibbon | interim |
| 8.04 LTS | Hardy Heron | LTS |
| 8.10 | Intrepid Ibex | interim |
| 9.04 | Jaunty Jackalope | interim |
| 9.10 | Karmic Koala | interim |
| 10.04 LTS | Lucid Lynx | LTS |
| 10.10 | Maverick Meerkat | interim |
| 11.04 | Natty Narwhal | interim |
| 11.10 | Oneiric Ocelot | interim |
| 12.04 LTS | Precise Pangolin | LTS |
| 12.10 | Quantal Quetzal | interim |
| 13.04 | Raring Ringtail | interim |
| 13.10 | Saucy Salamander | interim |
| 14.04 LTS | Trusty Tahr | LTS |
| 14.10 | Utopic Unicorn | interim |
| 15.04 | Vivid Vervet | interim |
| 15.10 | Wily Werewolf | interim |
| 16.04 LTS | Xenial Xerus | LTS |
| 16.10 | Yakkety Yak | interim |
| 17.04 | Zesty Zapus | interim |
| 17.10 | Artful Aardvark | interim |
| 18.04 LTS | Bionic Beaver | LTS |
| 18.10 | Cosmic Cuttlefish | interim |
| 19.04 | Disco Dingo | interim |
| 19.10 | Eoan Ermine | interim |
| 20.04 LTS | Focal Fossa | LTS |
| 20.10 | Groovy Gorilla | interim |
| 21.04 | Hirsute Hippo | interim |
| 21.10 | Impish Indri | interim |
| 22.04 LTS | Jammy Jellyfish | LTS |
| 22.10 | Kinetic Kudu | interim |
| 23.04 | Lunar Lobster | interim |
| 23.10 | Mantic Minotaur | interim |
| 24.04 LTS | Noble Numbat | LTS |
| 24.10 | Oracular Oriole | interim |
| 25.04 | Plucky Puffin | interim |
| 25.10 | Questing Quokka | interim |
| 26.04 LTS | Resolute Raccoon | LTS |
Ubuntu's Release Cycle: LTS and Interim Versions
Ubuntu follows a regular six-month release schedule, bringing new versions every April (.04) and October (.10). Among these, every fourth release (every two years) is a Long-Term Support (LTS) version.
LTS releases receive five years of official support and security updates, making them ideal for servers, enterprises, and users who value stability.
Between two LTS releases, Canonical publishes three interim versions that serve as testing grounds for new features, desktop improvements, and hardware support.
These interim releases are supported for nine months, giving developers and enthusiasts early access to innovations that will later appear in the next LTS.
For example:
24.04 Noble Numbat (LTS) → 24.10 Oracular Oriole → 25.04 Plucky Puffin → 25.10 Questing Quokka → 26.04 Resolute Raccoon (LTS)
Why Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Matters
LTS releases are the most important releases for many users in the open source community. Users rely on them because they offer five years of ongoing stability and updates on the desktop.
Users also get five years of critical security patches through Ubuntu Pro.
Furthermore, LTS releases establish the foundation for many important deployments:
- Cloud deployments
- Servers
- Enterprise desktops
- Container workloads
Right now, we only have the codename for the upcoming Ubuntu 26.04 LTS release. The daily builds and early milestones will soon offer the first look at what Resolute Raccoon brings to the table.
Read Next: Ubuntu 26.04 LTS ‘Resolute Raccoon’ Daily Builds Now Available
Resources:
