A Guide to Navigating Countries Changing Their Official Names

Exploring some reactions to the most recent change and encouraging respectful actions

Many countries have changed their official names in the past. Some examples are Persia to Iran, Siam to Thailand, Ceylon to Sri Lanka, and the Republic of Rhodesia to Zimbabwe, among many others.

The latest one is Turkey, now known as Türkiye when they notified the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations around May 2022 that they wanted to change their official, universal name.

The news about the name change of Türkiye was mostly reported in June 2022, when the UN adopted the new name. The United States Department of State officially began using Türkiye in January 2023.

However, the public reactions and information not spreading raise some concerns, so let’s dive deep into the countries that changed their names, reactions from the public, and how to cultivate respect and understanding for countries changing their names.

Historical Perspectives

Throughout history, countries have gone through name changes for different reasons, such as political or societal transformations. The Soviet Union, for example, changed its official name to Russia, or the Russian Federation, in 1992.

More recent examples are Holland changing its official name to The Netherlands in 2020, Turkey to Türkiye in 2022, and the Czech Republic to Czechia in 2018.

The list goes on:

Persia → Iran

Irish Free State → Ireland

Siam → Thailand

Bechuanaland Protectorate → Botswana

Ceylon → Sri Lanka

Republic of Rhodesia → Zimbabwe

Republic of Zaïre → Republic of Congo

Burma → Myanmar

People’s Reactions to a New Name Change

Coming from a Turkish background and living in the United States for years, I observed a lot of different reactions to Türkiye’s name change, and I’d love to share them with you since it’s the most recent example of a country changing its name.

Some people have said that Türkiye will be known as Turkey forever to English speakers, some argue that a country is not allowed to change its name, and some are confused about the letter “ü.”

Even with Iran, many people still call the country “Persia” or people from Iran “Persian” despite their name change. Just this month in December 2023, I saw a video of an influencer on TikTok correcting people, saying she’s not “Persian American,” she’s “Iranian American.”

This is why it’s very crucial to address some of these reactions I’ve received to Türkiye’s name change not only to navigate the most recent example but also to raise awareness and foster empathy for all the countries that have changed their names, yet still face not being called what they prefer.

“A country cannot change its name.”

A common reaction, and the first one, from Americans whenever the topic is a country changing its official name is that it’s not allowed for countries to change their names.

The answer to this reaction lies in this article, as we have already talked about all the countries that have changed their names throughout history. And for Türkiye itself, which is the most recent example, it’s crucial to know that it’s not a name change.

The country has been called Türkiye since it was founded in 1923. They just want to be called what they call themselves in their own language, which seems fair and understandable.

“English is the universal language. It’s called Turkey in English.”

If we go down this rabbit hole of “universal language,” the first question that comes to mind is, “Why is English the universal language?”

When you Google the question above, the first answer comes up as, “historical domination.” The articles go on to talk about colonization, industrialization, and globalization.

Let’s shift our perspective for a second.

If Turkish was the universal language, the United States of America would be known as Amerika all over the world, Canada would be Kanada, Germany would be Almanya, England would be İngiltere, Italy would be İtalya, China would be Çin, India would be Hindistan, and so on.

To foster empathy, let’s think about a scenario where your country didn’t like their Turkish name, which is the universal language in this imaginary world, so they decided to change their official name. Would you deny your country the right to be called whatever they want to be called?

Similarly, we can look at it from the perspective of a person changing their name or pronouns to cultivate a better understanding of this topic of countries changing their official names.

“I can’t say ‘ü’.”

This is a valid concern that anyone can have when they want to say “Türkiye” and respect the change, but not to worry. Just try your best, and remember, we all have accents when we speak in our second language.

It’s important to recognize that there are also some people who think that this is a reason to continue calling Türkiye “Turkey.” I even wish I could keep saying the old name since it’s easier when I speak English, and it flows naturally since I got very used to it.

I want to share two things with you that helped me decide what to do.

I invite you to think about Spanish for a moment. Knowing how to pronounce “Jose” or “Jorge,” which sounds like “Ho-zay” and “Hor-hay,” respectively, would you continue to say it in an English way with the “j” sound? A person’s answer to this question lies in how much respect they have for other cultures.
Türkiye specifically wanted to change its official name mainly because turkey is a bird. It’s what Americans eat on Thanksgiving, and not to mention the memes about Türkiye with the bird are disrespectful.

“My keyboard doesn’t have an ‘ü.’”

This is from friends I text with a lot who live in different countries, and it might be helpful to address it in detail for writers who want to contribute to fostering empathetic environments around the name change of countries.

As someone living in the US, I don’t have a Turkish keyboard to type ü, but after the name change, I added Turkish to my keyboards. After typing the first ü, I usually copy-paste the rest since it’s difficult to keep changing the keyboard.

Additionally, I don’t think anyone would mind seeing “Turkiye” without u having two dots on top since that’s a more thoughtful approach than continuing to type the country’s previous name.

But I’d also like to invite you to think about Spanish again since that helped me. Do you put in the extra effort to write the correct ñ? I don’t think there’s one right answer to that question because it depends on your knowledge, understanding, and perspective.

If you want to put in the extra effort and add the Turkish keyboard from your settings, ü is the second key on the right side of “p” with the “]” and “}” on it.

Navigating the Transition

No matter your reaction to the official name changes of different countries, remember that names carry significance, and respecting people’s or countries’ choices is a simple yet significant gesture.

Just as we’d get used to calling Ashley “Sarah,” let’s make a conscious effort to refer to Türkiye and other countries by their correct names, acknowledging the importance of this decision for the nation and its people because a little understanding goes a long way.

What can you do to spread the word about Türkiye?

Since Türkiye is the most recent country to change its official name, I’d love to close this article by spreading the word and encouraging everyone to help build a kinder and more respectful world.

Say “Türkiye” when you’re talking about Türkiye.
If anyone asks why you’re not calling it “turkey,” explain it or share this article with them.
Share a short pronunciation video if anyone is interested to learn it.