Most sovereign states have alternative names. Some countries have also undergone name changes for political or other reasons. Some have special names particular to poetic diction or other contexts. This article attempts to give all known alternative names and initialisms for all nations, countries, and sovereign states, in English and any languages that are predominant or official, or historically significant to the country in question.
Countries are listed alphabetically by their description, the most common name or term that is politically neutral and unambiguous. This may be followed by a note as to the status of the description used.
a = (common, English)
A Alpha-3 codeDescription Other name(s) or older name(s) a Republic of Abkhazia (official, English), Apsny (official, English) (official, Abkhaz), (official, Russian), Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia (Internationally recognized, English)AFG aIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan (de facto official, English), (de facto official, Pashto), (de facto official, Dari). From 2004 to 2021, it was known as Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (de jure official, English), (de jure official, Pashto), (de jure official, Dari). For names of prior states existing in Afghanistan, see History of AfghanistanALB a Republic of Albania (official, English), (official, Albanian), (Turkish), Arbanon (former, English), People's Socialist Republic of Albania (former official, English), (former official, Albanian), Albanian Kingdom (former official, English), (former official, Albanian)DZA a People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (official, English), (common, Arabic), (official, Arabic), (official, French)AND a Principality of Andorra (official, English), (official, Catalan), Principality of the Valleys of Andorra (alternate, English)AGOaRepublic of Angola (official, English), (official, Portuguese)ATGaAntigua and Barbuda (official, English), (the name the island of Antigua was originally called by Arawaks and is sometimes locally known by today)ARG a Argentine Republic (official, English), United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata (official, English), Argentine Confederation (official, English), Argentine Nation (official and legally preferred, English), (colloquial, Spanish), the Argentine (archaic, English)ARM a Republic of Armenia (official, English), (transliterated Armenian, original: ), (official, Armenian), (official, transliterated Armenian)AUS a Commonwealth of Australia (official, English), New Holland (former name, English) AUT a Republic of Austria (official, English), (official, German), (common, German), Federal Republic of Austria (former official, English), Cisleithania (former, English), (former, German)AZE a Republic of Azerbaijan (official, English), (official, Azerbaijani), Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (former official, English), Azerbaijan SSR (former short, English), (former official, Azerbaijani)
B
Alpha-3 codeDescription Other name(s) or older name(s)BHS a Commonwealth of The Bahamas (official, English), Commonwealth of the Bahama Islands (former official, English), Bahama Islands (colloquial, English)BHR a Kingdom of Bahrain (official, English), (official, Arabic), State of Bahrain (former official, English)BGD a People's Republic of Bangladesh (official, English), Bangladesh (common name, meaning the country of Bengal), (long official name in Bengali), (alternative name meaning the geographical land of Bengal), (Bongo, historical name for geographical area of Bengal), (ancient name for Bengal region), Bengal Presidency (former political name), (former political name), East Bengal (former political name), (former political name), East Pakistan (former political name)BRB aBarbados (official, English)BLR a Republic of Belarus (official, English), (Belarusian, official), Byelorussia (former name), White Russia (outdated)BEL a Kingdom of Belgium (official, English), (official, Dutch), (official, French), (official, German), (common, French), (common, Dutch), (common, German)BLZ a Belize (official, English), British Honduras (former, English)BEN a Republic of Benin (official, English), Dahomey (former name), (official, French)BTN a Kingdom of Bhutan (official, English), (official, Dzongkha)BOL a Plurinational State of Bolivia (official, English), (official, Spanish), Republic of Bolívar (former official, English), Republic of Bolivia (former official, English), Republic of Upper Peru (former official, English), Audiencia de Charcas (colonial Spanish), Puliwya (Quechua), Wuliwya (Aymara), Qullasuyu (Quechua)BIH a Bosnia and Herzegovina (official, English), Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (former official, English), Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (former official, English), Bosnia (colloquial, English)BWA a Republic of Botswana (official, English), Bechuanaland (former, English), BRA a Federative Republic of Brazil (official, English), (in Tupi and Guarani, native languages), (early Portuguese colonization), (former, Portuguese), Empire of Brazil (former, English), United States of Brazil (former, English), (official, Portuguese) BRN a Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace (official, English), State of Brunei (colonial name, English), (Malay), (Malay), (Jawi)BGR a Republic of Bulgaria (official, English), (official, Bulgarian), People's Republic of Bulgaria (former official, English), Bulgaristan (Turkish)BFA a Burkina Faso (official, English), Upper Volta (former name, English), Haute-Volta (former name, French), (unofficial French form in the first few days after the 1984 change from Upper Volta until the government clarified the official spelling)BDI a Republic of Burundi (official, English), (official, Kirundi), (official, French), Kingdom of Burundi (former official, English)
C Alpha-3 codeDescription Other name(s) or older name(s)KHM a Kingdom of Cambodia (official, English), Royaume du Cambodge (official, French), Kampuchea (former officially sanctioned common name in the English language and transliteration from Khmer language), Khmer Republic (former official), Democratic Kampuchea (former official), People's Republic of Kampuchea (former official), State of Cambodia (former official)CMR a Republic of Cameroon (official, English), United Republic of Cameroon (former official, English), Kamerun (former colonial, German)CAN a Canada (official, English and French), Dominion of Canada (historical long form, English), Dominion du Canada (historical long form, French), Acadia (French colony)CPV a Republic of Cabo Verde (official, English), República de Cabo Verde (official, Portuguese), Repúblika di Kabu Verdi (official, Cape Verdean Creole), Cabo Verde (official, Portuguese and English; the Government of Cabo Verde now uses that form for official purposes in English as well as Portuguese)CAF a Central African Republic (official, English), Oubangui-Chari (former, French), Ubangi-Shari (English), République Centrafricaine (official, French), Empire Centrafricain (former official, French), Central African Empire (English)TCD (official, English) Republic of Chad (official, English), République du Tchad (official, French), Jumhūrīyat Tashād (official, Arabic)CHL a Republic of Chile (official, English), Chilli (Mapuche), Chili (Quechua), Reino de Chile (colonial Spanish), Capitania general de Chile (colonial Spanish)CHN (official, English) People's Republic of China (official, English), (), PRC (initialism), China () (common, ambiguous), Communist China (colloquial, mainly used by Western countries), Red China (colloquial, mainly derogatory), (Zhōnggòng) (colloquial and mainly derogatory, mainly used by the ROC with a cognate used in Vietnam), Mainland China / () / () (colloquial, refers to the area that the PRC Government administers since the end of the Chinese Civil War), New China/ () (colloquial, pro-Communist), Shenzhou/, Ch'in Empire, Cathay (obsolete, now mainly used poetically), the Middle Kingdom (colloquial, loose translation of the common endonym), Sina (Latin name, often used in adjective compounds) Zhongguo is the name for China in Chinese language. CN (alpha-2 code)COL a Republic of Colombia (official, English), República de Colombia (official, Spanish), Estados Unidos de Colombia (former official, Spanish), Confederación Granadina (former official, Spanish), República de la Nueva Granada (former official, Spanish)COM a Union of the Comoros (official, English), Union des Comores (official, French), Udzima wa Komori (official, Swahili), al-Ittiḥād al-Qumurī (official, Arabic), United Republic of the Comoros (official, English)COG aRepublic of the Congo (official, English), Congo-Brazzaville a, Congo Republic a, République du Congo (official, French), Repubilika ya Kôngo (official, Kituba), Republíki ya Kongó (official, Lingala)COD aDemocratic Republic of the Congo (official, English), Zaire (former official name, 1971 to 1997; still occasionally used to distinguish it from Republic of the Congo), DRC (initialism), Congo Kinshasa (used in contrast to "Congo Brazzaville"), Belgian Congo (former name during Belgian colonization, 1908 to 1960, English), Congo belge (former name, French), Congo Free State (former name, 1885 to 1908), Republic of the Congo (former name, 1960 to 1964, during which time both Congos had identical official names)CRI a Republic of Costa Rica (official, English), República de Costa Rica (official, Spanish), Tiquicia (nickname)CIV (common, French and English)Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (official, English), Ivory Coast a, the Ivory Coast (common English), République de Côte d'Ivoire (official, French)HRV aRepublic of Croatia (official, English), Republika Hrvatska (official, Croatian), Hrvatska (common, Croatian; also in Serbian, Bosnian and Montenegrin), Hrvaška (Slovenian), Hırvatistan (Turkish)CUB a Republic of Cuba (official, English), República de Cuba (official, Spanish)CYP a Republic of Cyprus (official, English), Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία (official, Greek), Kypriaki Dimokratia (official, transliterated Greek), Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti (official, Turkish), Κύπρος (common, Greek), Kypros (common, transliterated Greek), Kıbrıs (common, Turkish), Island of Venus (nickname, English)CZE aCzech Republic (official, English), Czechia (official shortform name, English), Česká republika (official, Czech, Slovak), Česko (common, Czech, Slovak), ČR (Czech initialism), CR (English initialism), Bohemia (former, English), Czechland (unofficial, English), the Czechlands (unofficial, English), České země (Czech for "Bohemian lands" or "Czech lands"). Former Česká socialistická republika (Czech for the "Czech Socialist Republic"), ČSR (Czech initialism), CSR (English initialism), (Protektorát) Čechy a Morava (Czech for the "(Protectorate of) Bohemia and Moravia"), Země Koruny české (Czech for the "Lands of the Bohemian Crown"), Koruna česká (Czech for the "Bohemian Crown"), Česká konfederace (Czech for the "Bohemian Confederation")
D Alpha-3 codeDescription Other name(s) or older name(s)DNK a Kingdom of Denmark (official, English), Danmark (common, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian), Kongeriget Danmark (official, Danish), Dania (antiquated, Latin)DJI a Republic of Djibouti (official, English), French Territory of the Afars and the Issas, French Somaliland, Obock Territory (former names, English), Territoire français des Afars et des Issas, Côte française des Somalis, Territoire d'Obock (former names, French), République de Djibouti (official, French)DMA aCommonwealth of Dominica (official, English), Dominique (common, French), Dominik (common, Dominican Creole French), Wai‘tu kubuli (common, Kalinago language)DOM aDominican Republic (official, English), República Dominicana (Spanish), Quisqueya (common, Taíno)
E