Top 10 countries that have officially changed their names in history

There are countries in the world that have changed their names throughout their history. The real boom in country renaming occurred in the second half of the last century, when a large number of newly independent states emerged in the world and changed their names, saying goodbye to the colonial past.

Here is an overview of countries that have officially changed their names in the past. What provoked this and why they chose this particular name, writes the News Bytes website.

Sri Lanka and Myanmar

The island nation of Ceylon proclaimed itself a republic in 1972, changing its name to Sri Lanka, which means "shining land" in Sinhala and emphasizes the country's natural beauty. The nation sought to more accurately reflect its multicultural identity and distance itself from its colonial past under British rule.

Meanwhile, Myanmar became the official name of the country in 1989, replacing Burma, reflecting linguistic accuracy.

Iran and Turkey

Iran received its current name from Persia in 1935. This was done by Reza Shah, a military officer who became the Shah in 1925 after overthrowing the previous Qajar dynasty with the support of Great Britain.

More recently, in 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially changed the country's name from Turkey to Turkiye to reflect the country's vibrant culture, values, and civilization.

The Netherlands and North Macedonia

North Macedonia became the new name of Macedonia in 2019. This change ended a long-running dispute with Greece, which had problems with the use of the term "Macedonia" because it also has a region of that name.

In 2019, the Dutch chose the name "Netherlands" instead of "Holland". This was reportedly a marketing strategy aimed at changing the country's reputation internationally.

Cambodia and Thailand

Siam was the official name of Thailand until 1939, when it was changed. This move was an attempt to assert the country's unity and identity in response to growing Western colonial influence in Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, Cambodia, due to its complex history, has had several different names over the years, including the Khmer Republic, Democratic Kampuchea, the State of Cambodia, and the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Czech Republic and Eswatini

The Czech Republic adopted the name Czech Republic in 2016 to make it easier for businesses and sports teams to use it on goods and clothing.

Similarly, in 2018, the African country of Swaziland renamed itself Eswatini, which translates to "Land of the Swazis." This change was aimed at matching the language of the country's indigenous people and eliminating ambiguity in relations with Switzerland.