Countries That Changed Their Names: From Naoero to Türkiye

By Cornelius Okechukwu · Last updated: October 2026 · 8-minute read

In 2026, the Pacific island of Nauru officially became Naoero, the newest of many countries that changed their names. Some changes mark independence, others drop colonial names, fix spelling or simply rebrand a country for tourism. Living in Prague, I hear the most famous recent example almost every day: is it the Czech Republic or Czechia? This guide explains the countries that changed their names, when and why.

Nauru becomes Naoero (2026)

The world's smallest republic changed its name in 2026. Parliament passed a constitutional amendment in May, and the government announced that the country is now the Republic of Naoero, with the country code NRO and citizens known as dei-Naoero. President David Adeang explained to the UN General Assembly in September that Naoero is the name the islanders have always used among themselves, and that it already appears on the national coat of arms.

It is pronounced roughly “Now-ero”. Our Naoero (Nauru) travel guide explains how to visit; it is also one of the least visited countries in the world.

Turkey becomes Türkiye (2022)

In 2022 the UN agreed to use Türkiye, the country's own name, in all official languages. The government wanted to strengthen its national brand and avoid confusion with the bird. You will see “Türkiye” on passports, at airports and in official documents, although many people still say Turkey in everyday English.

Macedonia becomes North Macedonia (2019)

For almost 30 years, Greece objected to the name “Macedonia”, which is also the name of a large Greek region. The Prespa Agreement of 2018 settled the dispute: the country became the Republic of North Macedonia in 2019, and Greece stopped blocking its path to NATO, which it joined in 2020.

Swaziland becomes Eswatini (2018)

King Mswati III announced the change in April 2018, on the 50th anniversary of independence. Eswatini means “land of the Swazi” in the siSwati language, and the king said the new name would also stop people confusing the country with Switzerland. Read our Eswatini travel guide.

Czech Republic and Czechia (2016)

This one causes the most confusion. The country's full name is still the Czech Republic. In 2016 the government registered Czechia with the UN as the official short name, in the same way that the French Republic is called France. You can use either, but “Czechia” is now standard on maps, in sport and in international organisations. Plan your trip with our Czechia travel guide.

Countries that changed their names: the full timeline

Some countries that changed their names did so more than once: Thailand returned to “Siam” from 1945 to 1949 before switching back.

Rebrands: not countries that changed their names

The Netherlands

Since 2020 the government promotes only “the Netherlands”, not “Holland”, which is just two of its provinces.

Côte d'Ivoire

Since 1985 the country has asked to be called Côte d'Ivoire in every language, not Ivory Coast.

India and Bharat

Bharat is already an official name in India's constitution and is used more often at home, but India has not changed its name internationally.

The United Kingdom

Great Britain is the main island; the United Kingdom also includes Northern Ireland.

Why do countries change their names? Common reasons

Most countries that changed their names did so for one of five reasons: independence (Zimbabwe, Bangladesh), dropping a colonial name (Sri Lanka, Burkina Faso), using the local-language name (Türkiye, Naoero, Cabo Verde), settling a dispute (North Macedonia) or branding (Czechia, the Netherlands). A change only becomes “official” internationally once the country informs the United Nations, which then updates its list of member states. That is why there are still 195 countries in our guide to how many countries there are in the world.

Sources:

• ConstitutionNet: Nauru officially changes name to Naoero (2026)
• Jamaica Gleaner: Renamed nation stands at the UN (Sept 2026)
• United Nations: Member States
• Vanguard: 7 countries that recently changed their names