It was the namesake of RCAF Station Namao, now CFB Edmonton, which is directly south of the hamlet.

On August 22, 1891, the Edmonton Bulletin[3] reported that, "The Sturgeon river settlers had been requesting a post office since May 3, 1884.

They had wanted to call it Wilson Valley at first, then Sturgeon and finally Naoma (Namao)."

[4] According to Wilfred McLean, Dan [McKinley, who took up one of the first Sturgeon homesteads in the early 1880s] insisted on the name; "[He] had associated with the Indians for quite a few years and knew quite a few Cree words.

[6][7] On May 19, 1892, Postmaster J. Johnstone wrote that "'Nemao' is the correct spelling of the name of the post office in the Sturgeon river settlement.