Naoero, not Nauru: Why the world's smallest island nation is reclaiming its name

The Republic of Nauru, the world’s smallest island nation, has officially adopted a more indigenous version of its name. The country will now be known as the Republic of Naoero, pronounced ‘now-ero’. The move is part of efforts to move away from its colonial past and preserve its severely endangered language.

The government announced that the revised name will also apply to its citizens, who will now be addressed as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan. It has formally notified other countries and international organisations of the change.

President David Adeang described the decision as being about “identity, heritage, and preserving the legacy of our ancestors and strengthening the future of our children”.

Explaining the need for the change, the government said the name ‘Nauru’ emerged as a matter of convenience, not choice, because foreign tongues could not properly pronounce ‘Naoero’. The bill to revise the name was tabled in Parliament in January this year.

Nauru, located in the Pacific Ocean to the northeast of Australia, has a long history of foreign rule. British sailor John Fearn, who was the first Westerner to encounter the island in 1798, named it Pleasant Island. Later, in 1888, Germany annexed the island, and the name ‘Nauru’ entered official records during German rule.

During the First World War, Australia took control of the island, a move later recognised by the League of Nations in 1919, which granted joint governance to Australia, Britain, and New Zealand. In the Second World War, Japan occupied the island. After the war, it came under a UN trusteeship administered by Australia, Britain, and New Zealand. Nauru gained independence in 1968, but kept the name given by German colonialists.

The government had earlier announced a referendum on the name revision, but last week it clarified that adopting ‘Naoero’ was not about seeking public acceptance; rather, it is already the identity of the people and used in the community.

Nauru is not alone in revisiting colonial-era names. In India, several cities have been renamed to reflect local pronunciations, such as Bangalore to Bengaluru, Trivandrum to Thiruvananthapuram, and Calicut to Kozhikode. However, it is rare for an entire nation to revise its name decades after independence.

The government of Naoero cited recent examples of countries that have changed or revised their names to reflect culture and distance themselves from colonial pasts. These include Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) in 2018, Turkiye (formerly Turkey) in 2022, and the Micronesian state of Chuuk (formerly Truk) in 1990.

For countries with long histories of colonial rule, adopting indigenous terms is both an assertion of self-sustainability and sovereignty. For small nations like Naoero, which has a population of barely 12,000, decolonisation is a matter of identity. UNESCO classifies the country’s language, dorerin Naoero, as “severely endangered”. Moving away from colonial symbols is considered key to preserving the language and its associated customs.

The nation, which has also been reported as being used by Australia as a detention centre for asylum seekers, is facing existential challenges, including the impacts of climate change. The name revision is seen as a step towards strengthening national pride and heritage amid these pressures.