List of city name changes


This is a list of cities and towns whose names were officially changed at one or more points in history. It does not include gradual changes in spelling that took place over long periods of time.
see also: Geographical renaming, cities in different languages">city">cities in different languages, and List of renamed places in the United States

Afghanistan

Algeria

Argentina

Australia

New South Wales

Northern Territory

Queensland

South Australia

Tasmania

Victoria

Western Australia

Austria

Belgium

Bolivia

Botswana

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Brazil

Brunei

Bulgaria

Canada

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Nunavut

Ontario

Prince Edward Island

Québec

Saskatchewan

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

''†Name change in English due to replacement of postal romanization with the pinyin system. The Chinese name is unchanged.''

Colombia

Croatia

Czech Republic

Dominican Republic

Egypt

Many cities had Ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Latin names.
  • Iunyt, Ta-senet → Latopolis → Laton → Lato → Esna

Equatorial Guinea

  • Port Clarence → Santa Isabel → Malabo

Finland

  • Kokkola/Gamlakarleby → Kokkola/Karleby
  • Mustasaari/Mussor → Wasa → Nikolaistad/Nikolainkaupunki → Vasa/Vaasa
  • Pargas/Parainen → Väståboland/Länsi-Turunmaa → Pargas/Parainen
  • Pyhäjärvi → Pyhäsalmi → Pyhäjärvi

France

Most cities had an ancient name, usually in Latin, often of older Celtic origin

Germany

Greenland

Guyana

  • Wismar-MacKenzie-Christianburg → Linden

Haiti

Hong Kong

Indonesia

Ireland

Israel

Japan

Jordan

Kenya

Laos

  • Xiang Dong Xiang Thong → Vientiane → Luang Phra Bang → Vientiane
  • Nakhon Kala Champaknaburisi → Nakhon Champa Nakhaburisi → Nakhon Champasak → Champasak → Pakse

Lebanon

  • Heliopolis → Baalbek
  • Derbly, Ahlia, Wahlia, Mahallata, Mayza, Kayza, Athar → Tripolis → Atrabulus, Tarablus al-Sham → Trablusşam → Tripoli

Libya

  • Oea → Tripoli
  • Euesperides → Berenice → Hesperides → Barneeq → Marsa ibn Ghazi → Bani Ghazi → Benghazi

Lithuania

Mauritius

Malaysia

Mexico

Montenegro

Morocco

Myanmar

In many cases, the English name of the city changed due to different romanization systems, while the Burmese native remained unchanged.

Netherlands

North Korea

†Japanese name during Korea under Japanese rule. The Korean name is unchanged.

North Macedonia

Norway

  • Ánslo → Christiania → Oslo
  • Kaupangen → Nidaros → Trondhjem → Nidaros → Trondheim
  • Fredrikshald → Halden
  • Bjørgvin → Bergen

Peru

Paraguay

Poland

1 Cities in western Poland whose names were changed when Poland gained independence from Germany in 1918.

2 German cities from 1918 to 1939 that became part of Poland after 1945.

Portugal

Serbia

Seychelles

Singapore

Name change in English due to replacement of older romanization methods with the pinyin system. The Chinese name is unchanged.

Slovakia

Slovenia

South Korea

  • Cheju → Jeju‡
  • Dalgubeol → Taegu → Daegu‡
  • Dongrae → Fusan → Pusan† → Busan‡
  • Duingji-hyeon → Yŏn'gi → Yeongi‡ → Sejong
  • Usisan → Uhwa → Heungrye-bu → Gonghwa-hyeon → Ulju → Ulsan
  • Hanbat → Taejŏn → Daejeon‡
  • Mujin → Muju → Kwangju → Gwangju‡
  • Hansanju → Hanyang → Hanseong → Gyeongseong/Keijō → Seoul
  • Michuhol → Soseong-hyeon → Gyeongwon-bu → Inch'ŏn → Jinsen† → Chemulpo → Inch'ŏn → Incheon‡
  • Ungjin → Kongju → Gongju‡
  • Silchon-eup → Gonjiam-eup
  • Doam-myeon → Daegwallyeong-myeon
†Japanese name during Korea under Japanese rule. The Korean name is unchanged.

‡Name change in English due to replacement McCune–Reischauer with the Revised Romanization method in 2000. The Korean name is unchanged.

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Syria

Taiwan

†Chinese name unchanged.

Tanzania

Thailand

United Kingdom

England

Scotland

Northern Ireland

United States

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Iowa

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

  • Smith's Landing → Saint Aubert → Mokane

Nebraska

Nevada

  • Horn Silver → Hornsilver → Goldpoint → Gold Point

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Name recognized by the United States Board on Geographic Names from 1891 to 1911. The name used by the city in its official documents and on its seal was unchanged.

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Venezuela

Vietnam

  • Tourane → Thai Phien → Đà Nẵng
  • Djiring → Di Linh
  • Tống Bình → Long Đỗ → Đại La → Thăng Long → Đông Đô → Đông Kinh → Bắc Thành → Thăng Long → Hà Nội
  • Hai Pho → Faifo → Hội An
  • Prey Nokor → Gia Định → Sài Gòn → Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh
  • Phu Xuan → Huế
  • Ke Van → Ke Vinh → Vinh Giang → Vinh Doanh → Vinh Thi → Vinh

Western Sahara