Less than a day after we asked you to put your collective minds to the task, Mark Shuttleworth has gone ahead and announced the official codename of Ubuntu 17.04.

What a spoil sport ;)

Despite some zealous guesses in the comments, it seems no-one got the name exactly spot on.

In place of a Zany Zebra or Zealot Zonket, the next version of Ubuntu is named:

‘Zesty Zapus’

Zeriously? Zotally.

Zesty is an adjective meaning ‘great enthusiasm and energy’. It can also mean that something tastes rather citrusy (as citrus fruit peel is called ‘zest’).



Zapus is the genus name of a North-American meadow jumping mouse. The cute little rodent is said to be the only mammal on Earth that has a total of…18 teeth. Everyone needs a claim to fame, right?

Expect to see Google adjust to the new name over the coming weeks. Right now, a Google for the “Zesty Zapus” throws up some canny autocorrect suggestions:

Ubuntu 17.04 Zesty Zapus

Mark writes of the codename: “right now, Ubuntu is moving even faster to the centre of the cloud and edge operations. From AWS to the zaniest new devices, Ubuntu helps people get things done faster, cleaner, and more efficiently, thanks to you. We love the pace of change and we change the face of love.”

“We are a tiny band in a market of giants, but our focus on delivering free software freely together with enterprise support, services and solutions appears to be opening doors, and minds, everywhere. So, in honour of the valiantly tiny leaping long-tailed over the obstacles of life, our next release [is called Zesty Zapus].”