according to sulkhan-saba orbeliani the name "senaki" ("სენაკი") means "small room" or "chapel" in georgian. from 1935 to 1976 the town was called "mikha tskhakaya" in honor of the georgian bolshevik revolutionary leader mikhail tskhakaya. in 1976 the name was simplified to "tskhakaya". after 1989, the town was given back its original name.