Countries that Changed their Names

Countries, many cities, states, towns, and provinces worldwide have changed their names for various reasons. It’s sometimes done for political reasons or to instil national pride. Marketing factors are one of the reasons for the change and may also be the consequence of royal order. A name change is frequently done for political or nationalistic reasons, such as to erase signs of colonial control or to reflect the government’s views. The name of a country can also be changed to improve its image and eliminate an adverse incident or memory from its past.

However, did you know that changing the country’s name is not an easy task? It costs millions of dollars or equivalent to the local currencies.

A-List of Countries That Changed Their Names

On January 1 2020, the name Holland officially ceased to exist as a designation of the Netherlands State, and Holland changed to the Netherlands.

Furthermore, political motivation might lead to a country’s renaming. Most countries changed their names to distance themselves from their past, while others did so to attract tourists. Here are more countries that have changed their names:

1. Persia changed to Iran.
2. Kampuchea changed to Cambodia.
3. Swaziland changed to Eswatini.
4. Ceylon changed to Sri Lanka.
5. Holland changed to the Netherlands.

The decolonisation of Africa resulted in a flurry of name changes: Bechuanaland became Botswana, Nyasaland became Malawi, the Gold Coast became Ghana, and the country formerly known as Upper Volta is now Burkina Faso.

Swaziland Changed to Eswatini

In April 2018, the king of Swaziland, Africa, issued a statement announcing that the country’s name would be changed to Eswatini. According to reports, the change did not surprise the people because they had already used it. 

Eswatini is the Swazi word for “land of the Swazis,” and is simply Swaziland translated into the local language. The old was perplexing because people from other countries mistook Switzerland for a European country.

Holland Changed to the Netherlands

January 2020 onwards, the government of this country decided to change their name as a marketing tactic.

According to the decision, the name ‘the Netherlands’ should be used for Holland as a nation that is inclusive and open to all people and cultures. South Holland and North Holland are the two regions that make up the country, and their soccer team has also undergone a name change.

The name ‘Holland’ officially ceased to exist as a designation of the Netherlands State on January 1, 2020. Since the beginning of the year, institutions, local governments, universities, private companies, and the media have been required to use the Netherlands.

This step will help the country shed its drug and prostitution-related image. The kingdom spent €200,000 on the reform to change the country’s name. The authorities in Amsterdam had previously stated that they wanted to ban the term “Red Light District.” Its historical name “De Wallen” will replace its current name on all city signs.

Ceylon Changed to Sri Lanka

According to records, the Portuguese named this country Ceylon when they discovered it in 1505, and it later became a part of the British Empire before declaring independence in 1948. After many years, the island’s government decided to change the name, and in 2011, all references to Ceylon were removed from companies and official bodies that still used the old name. 

Various terms have referred to Sri Lanka, which was coined during the early twentieth-century struggle for independence. It was given the name “Republic of Sri Lanka” in 1972, and it was renamed “Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka” in 1978.

The Portuguese discovered Cielo, or Ancient Ceylon, in 1505. The British Empire was renamed Ceylon in the early nineteenth century. The island’s government changed its name to Sri Lanka after independence. All references to Ceylon were removed from official bodies and companies using the old name Ceylon in 2011.

Conclusion

Sometimes a country’s name might also be changed to honour a prominent figure or a significant event in the country. 

Cities are frequently renamed from English to Indian English, associated with internal dialect reforms. In other words, the city is not renamed in the native language, and the local name (or endonym) in India’s indigenous languages remains unchanged. Still, the official spelling in Indian English has changed.

According to official government sources, official name changes occur rapidly, if not immediately.

Some renaming was motivated by politics, while others were inspired by pride, and still, others were motivated by the desire to assert a country’s newfound independence.