How a Bird Made a Country Change Its Name

An unusual mix of language, trade, and history helped push the nation long known as “Turkey” to ask the world to call it “Türkiye.” At the time, officials said the move aimed to sharpen the country’s image and to cut ties with the bird that shares its English name.

The change became official at the United Nations after Ankara submitted a formal request in 2022. Then-Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the shift was part of a planned rebrand to “increase our country’s brand value” and to present the nation’s identity more clearly in international forums.

A centuries-old confusion between bird and nation

The link between bird and country began centuries earlier, and through accident. The domestic turkey originally comes from Mesoamerica. Spanish explorers brought the bird to Europe in the 16th century.

Europeans had already seen a different bird, the guineafowl, which arrived through trade routes tied to the Ottoman lands. Merchants and consumers conflated the two. Over time, English speakers began calling the American bird a “turkey.” The name stuck even after the true origin was understood.

It is really pretty funny that the turkey bird was named after the country of Turkey (where Englishmen supposed it to come from), but eventually became so well known that it compelled Turkey itself to change its name to Türkiye to avoid the endless jokes. pic.twitter.com/eNi63CCsZG

— Tristan S. Rapp (@Hieraaetus) May 8, 2024

Government officials framed the name change as a correction. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said “Türkiye” better reflects the nation’s culture, civilization, and values.

State campaigns pushed labels such as “Made in Türkiye” and urged foreign governments and companies to adopt the new form. The push included formal letters to the U.N. and diplomatic partners.

Political symbolism and mixed global response

The response outside Turkey has been mixed. Some international bodies and governments adopted the spelling in formal documents. Others have moved more slowly, citing style guides and broader public habits.

The US State Department announced it would use the preferred spelling in many official contexts after the request.

Analysts called the move both a standard nation-branding step and a political gesture. Supporters say the change restores an endonym and reduces awkward or pejorative uses in English. Critics call it cosmetic and say it will not, on its own, alter deeper economic or political challenges facing the country.

Linguists note the case is not unique. Place names and national brands change from time to time. But the Türkiye example is striking because the original problem traces to a centuries-old naming error.

A bird’s name, carried by trade and time, helped spark a modern diplomatic and marketing campaign to reshape a country’s global image.