ðə jˌʊɹɹəpˈiənɐmˈɛɹɪkən nˈeɪmɪŋ ʌvðɪ ˌæləbˈæmɚ ɹˈɪvɚ ænd stˈeɪt wʌz dᵻɹˈaɪvd fɹʌmðɪ ˌæləbˈæmə pˈiːpəl, ɐ mˌʌskoʊdʒˈiənspˈiːkɪŋ tɹˈaɪb hˌuːz mˈɛmbɚz lˈɪvd dʒˈʌst bᵻlˌoʊ ðə kˈɑːnfluːəns ʌvðə kˈuːsə ænd tˈælɐpˌuːsɚ ɹˈɪvɚz ɔnðɪ ˌʌpɚ ɹˈiːtʃᵻz ʌvðə ɹˈɪvɚ.
The European-American naming of the Alabama River and state was derived from the Alabama people, a Muskogean-speaking tribe whose members lived just below the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers on the upper reaches of the river.