Wainwright, also known as Ulguniq or Kuuk, is a city in North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 628, making it the third largest city in the North Slope Borough, up from 556 in 2010. The community was named after Wainwright Lagoon, which in turn was named after Lt. John Wainwright, an officer under Capt. F. W. Beechey, who were the first non-native people to travel to the lagoon in 1826.