Pacific island nation Nauru officially changes name to ‘Naoero’

The switch honours a name lost to colonial rule more than a century ago.Published On 31 Jul 202631 Jul 2026The Pacific island nation of Nauru has officially reclaimed its traditional name, becoming the Republic of Naoero.Nauru’s parliament passed a constitutional amendment in May to change the name, and President David Adeang confirmed in a social media post late on Wednesday that plans for a national referendum on the change had been dropped. He said the shift reflected an identity the people already held rather than a new one seeking approval.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump administration appeals to never-before-used court for deportationlist 2 of 3Pathirage challenges Chopra-Nadeem javelin rivalry in Commonwealth finallist 3 of 3UK left-wing MP Diane Abbott reinstated by Labour Party after suspensionend of list“The decision not to pursue a referendum was reached after thoughtful deliberation that Naoero is not a new name seeking acceptance by the people,” Adeang said. “It is already the identity of the people, is on the national coat of arms, and spoken in the community; and importantly is allowed by the constitution.”The country’s short-form name will now be...