10 countries that could change their names, and 6 that already have

Nations contemplating the ultimate rebrand

Speculation that India might rename itself is reaching fever pitch – and it's not the only country considering a change of moniker.

In fact, a number of nations around the globe are currently exploring the ultimate rebrand, meaning maps of the world could need a serious update in the years to come.

Read on to discover six countries that recently changed their names – and find out which other nations are contemplating doing the same.

All dollar amounts in US dollars.

Why do countries change their names?

There are a number of reasons why countries update their names. Nations that were formerly colonised, for example, often change their names to break away from a difficult past and assert their independence.

Dramatic political shifts and international disputes can also prompt a country to adopt a new name. One recent example is Macedonia, which renamed itself North Macedonia after settling its long-standing feud with Greece.

Name changes can also happen for relatively frivolous marketing reasons, as was the case with Turkey, which changed its name to Türkiye in 2022 to avoid associations with the festive bird. No, really...

20th-century country name changes

Name changes for countries came in thick and fast during the 20th century, largely spurred on by the boundary changes that followed the two world wars and the subsequent wave of decolonisation that swept the globe.

Siam became Thailand, Ceylon was renamed Sri Lanka, Rhodesia was reborn as Zimbabwe, and many other nations saw their names change to something new or revert to the original.

Russia is one such example of the latter, readopting its historic name in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

21st-century country name changes

The pace has slowed this century, although there have still been plenty of notable name changes over the last few decades.

The newly independent East Timor kicked things off in 2002 when it became Timor-Leste, followed by Serbia renaming itself to the Republic of Serbia in 2006.

And the last decade alone has seen a flurry of new name changes – keep reading to find out more.

Cape Verde to Cabo Verde

In 2013, this African island nation jettisoned all foreign language versions of its original Portuguese name, Cabo Verde, including the partly anglicised Cape Verde and French Cap-Vert.

According to The Boston Globe, the government was fed up with translating the name and wanted to dispel the misconception that the country is a cape rather than a chain of islands.

The move was also reportedly part of a national rebrand helmed by the then-culture minister to boost Cabo Verde's image of "sun, the beach, nice people, smiles".

Swaziland to Eswatini

The kingdom of Swaziland in southern Africa marked its 50th year of independence in 2018 by ditching its anglicised colonial era name. On the orders of King Mswati III, the nation was renamed Eswatini, its original moniker, which means "Land of the Swazis" in the native tongue.

Aside from the colonial associations, the monarch wasn't thrilled about people confusing his country with a certain European nation. He explained in his speech when he announced the name change: "Whenever we go abroad, people refer to us as Switzerland."

Macedonia to North Macedonia

Macedonia became an independent country in 1991. From the get-go, the new nation's name was bitterly opposed by neighbouring Greece, which has a region of the same name.

Amid accusations of cultural appropriation and claims that the young country was harbouring territorial ambitions, Greece blocked Macedonia's application to join NATO and accession talks with the European Union.

The spat was finally resolved 28 years down the line in 2019 when the governments of both countries backed a proposal to add "North" to the country's name.

Holland to the Netherlands

Holland has long been used interchangeably with the Netherlands, although the Dutch government officially called time on the old-fashioned name in 2019. The move was part of a mission to rebrand the nation as an "open, inventive, and inclusive country", shifting the focus away from associations with Amsterdam's Red Light District, which authorities believed the name Holland conjured up.

Technically speaking, Holland refers to just a section of the Netherlands, namely the provinces of Zuid-Holland and Noord-Holland, so it didn't make much sense to use it for the whole country anyway.

Turkey to Türkiye

The Turkish government went on a similar rebranding drive in 2022, with shedding the country's association with the festive bird on top of its agenda. According to state broadcaster TRT, the government was also dismayed about other colloquial meanings of the word "turkey", which include "a failure, flop" and "a stupid, foolish, or inept person", according to Merriam-Webster.

"Turkey" was consigned to the trash, and the government promptly notified the UN that the country would thereafter be referred to as Türkiye, its original untranslated name. In case you're unsure, the new moniker is pronounced "tur-key-yay".

Czech Republic to Czechia

The Czech Republic has been trying to make Czechia its new identity since 2016, when the government adopted it as the country's official short name. It's since upped the ante and is now pushing for the name to be used across various media formats, with the use of its previous name restricted to formal documents.

Like other name changes, this was done partly for marketing reasons, with the punchier Czechia a better fit on sportswear and souvenirs. However, getting the world to embrace the new name hasn't been easy, with some complaining about its supposedly harsh pronunciation and similarity to the Russian republic Chechnya.

India to Bharat

Now on to the nations that might change their names in the future, starting with India.

The south Asian country has been busy renaming its cities and states ever since it won independence from the UK in 1947. During the 1990s Bombay became Mumbai and Madras changed to Chennai. Kolkata replaced Calcutta in 2001.

Many other major population centres have also offloaded their colonial names, including Madras (which was formerly the name of a state, as well as its capital city), which became Tamil Nadu in 1969

India to Bharat

While India has seen plenty of names amended within its borders, the name of the country itself has remained unchanged since independence. But that could be set to change...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has slammed the name due to its association with the colonial British. Instead, Modi and his supporters, who include Bollywood stars and top-name cricketers, have been promoting the nation's ancient Sanskrit name, Bharat, as a replacement.

India to Bharat

Modi sat before a Bharat nameplate at the 2023 G20 New Delhi summit and is increasingly billed as Prime Minister of Bharat. It might only be a matter of time until the name becomes official.

However, the potential rebrand has received its fair share of criticism. The main opposition party has warned of the risks of abandoning the country's current name and the “incalculable brand value [that it's] built up over centuries”, while others have suggested it's part of an authoritarian attempt to erase the Mughals and Muslim culture from the country.

Pakistan to India

A slew of media reports have highlighted a potentially bizarre twist to India's name-change saga: the possibility that Pakistan might claim the discarded moniker.

Pakistan is reportedly entitled to use the name India because it pertains to the Indus River region, which covers swathes of the nation's territory.

Pakistan to India

If a newly-named Bharat were to have the name India derecognised by the United Nations, there would be nothing to stop Pakistan from adopting it.

That said, this is all pure conjecture and the chances of Pakistan changing its name to India are likely very slim – although stranger things have happened...

Nigeria to the United African Republic

In 2021, a proposal to rename Nigeria to the United African Republic was submitted to lawmakers in the country, generating a lively Twitter debate in the process.

The name change is the brainchild of Lagos tax consultant Adeleye Jokotoye. He argues that since the name Nigeria was coined by the 19th-century British journalist Flora Shaw, it's a vestige of colonialism and should be scrapped.

Nigeria to the United African Republic

Jokotoye says his suggested name, the United African Republic, better reflects the nation's diversity. Since then, others have joined calls to rename Nigeria.

Last September, senior judge Chief Wole Olanipekun branded the country's colonial-era name "demeaning" and said it was easily confused with Niger to the north. With the momentum for change building, Africa's most populous nation may be going by a different name in the not-so-distant future.

Philippines to Maharlika

Proposals to rename the Philippines to Maharlika, a term that pays homage to the country's ancient noble warrior class, have been floated several times over the years. The late President Ferdinand Marcos was reportedly obsessed with the word and wanted to rename the country accordingly.

While the notorious dictator didn't quite manage to pull off the rebrand, he did use Maharlika as a name for no less than a major highway, a presidential hall (which has since been renamed to Kalayaan Hall), and the state broadcaster.

Philippines to Maharlika

The idea was resurrected by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019 when he expressed his support for the name change, praising Marcos for proposing it and extolling the word as "a concept of serenity and peace".

The suggestion seems to have fallen by the wayside once more, but with the late President Marcos's son Ferdinand "Bongbong" Jr. now in power, there's every chance it could gain traction again.

New Zealand to Aotearoa

Aotearoa, the Māori name for New Zealand, is already used interchangeably with the official moniker. But it may eventually become the only name for the country.

Campaigners want to axe the colonial-sounding New Zealand, named after the Dutch province Zeeland. Instead, they want to replace it once and for all with Aotearoa, a more evocative Polynesian term that loosely translates to "long white cloud".

New Zealand to Aotearoa

However, opinion polls suggest the majority of people are in favour of sticking with New Zealand, for now. Support for retaining the current name is on the wane though, while petitions calling for Aotearoa seem to be attracting more and more signatures.

A petition to adopt the indigenous name was launched by the Māori party in 2021 and signed by over 70,000 people, sparking a government debate. If the voices for change grow louder, Aotearoa could fully replace the NZ moniker one day.

Jamaica to the Republic of Jamaica

While Jamaica gained independence from the UK in 1962, the British monarch has remained as head of state. But maybe not for much longer.

In 2022, the Jamaican government announced its intention to make the country a republic by 2025, and a referendum is tipped to happen at some point this year.

Jamaica to the Republic of Jamaica

Anti-monarchist sentiment has increased markedly in the country. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness even made a point of skipping the coronation of King Charles III in 2023, perhaps in a bid to affirm his commitment to getting rid of the British monarch as head of state.

As for a name change, it remains to be seen whether Jamaica will stick to its current name or prefer to be known as the Republic of Jamaica.

Azerbaijan to the Republic of Northern Azerbaijan

In 2012, opposition politicians in Azerbaijan gained the support of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party when they proposed to change the country's name to the Republic of Northern Azerbaijan.

The proposal riled neighbouring Iran as it hints at territorial ambitions over a province in the country that Azerbaijanis call Southern Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan to the Republic of Northern Azerbaijan

The 2012 proposal didn't go anywhere, although the name change idea was revived in 2022 by politician Gudrat Hasanguliyev as relations with Iran deteriorated.

Though tensions have eased since then, relations could very well go downhill again.

Dominica to Waitukubuli

Dominica is often confused with the larger Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic.

This impacts everything from tourism to postal services and is apparently a constant source of annoyance for Dominica's denizens.

For this reason, multiple calls have been made to rename it, with Waitukubuli, the name given to the island by the native Carib residents, emerging as a strong contender.

Dominica to Waitukubuli

Another possible suggestion made by Dian Rolle, a commentator for Dominica News Online, is Dominiquen, a nod to the island's French history. The government has so far failed to act on any potential name change, with the cost presumably a major deterrent.

Changing a country's name doesn't come cheap. For example, it's been estimated that Eswatini's name change cost around $6 million (£4.7m), a significant sum for the tiny nation. A national rebrand could quickly become an expensive mistake if it backfires and fails to get the desired recognition.

Kazakhstan to the Kazakh Republic

Kazakhstan is no stranger to geographical renaming, with its capital Astana holding the record for the most name changes in the 20th century. The city was renamed Nur-Sultan in 2019 after the country's former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, reverting to Astana in 2022.

Changing the name of the country itself has also been suggested.

Kazakhstan to the Kazakh Republic

In 2019, a member of Kazakhstan's parliament proposed renaming the nation to the Kazakh Republic to mark the 100th anniversary of the territory and "restore historic justice".

Nazarbayev was also keen to drop the "-stan". Given the country's propensity for renaming, it could well do so in the coming years.

Kyrgyz Republic to the Kyrgyz People’s Republic

Neighbouring Kyrgyzstan rebranded as the Kyrgyz Republic in 1993.

However, the new name has been controversial as it's perceived to favour the Kyrgyz majority to the detriment of Uzbek and Russian minorities.

Kyrgyz Republic to the Kyrgyz People’s Republic

An official proposal was made in 2020 to change the country's name again, this time from the Kyrgyz Republic to the Kyrgyz People’s Republic.

A change in the country's constitution and the introduction of a new People's Assembly reportedly inspired the suggestion. The nation's name has remained unchanged so far, although we imagine it's likely the idea will resurface at some point.

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