when did czechia change its name

Czechia did not “rename” the country in full; it formally adopted Czechia as its short geographic name in 2016, alongside the existing long name “Czech Republic.”

Quick answer

• The Czech government approved “Czechia” as the official short name in April 2016.

• The long, formal name “Czech Republic” is still valid and used in official and legal contexts.

• “Czechia” is the equivalent of using “France” instead of “French Republic.”

A bit of background

After Czechoslovakia split peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993 (the “Velvet Divorce”), Czech officials began looking for a short, one‑word name for branding, maps, sports, and everyday use, similar to other European countries. The idea of “Czechia” was already on the table in 1993, but it took more than two decades of debate before it was formally adopted.

Historically, forms of the name “Czechia” go back centuries in Latin and other languages, but they weren’t widely used in modern international English until this recent push.

What exactly changed in 2016?

In April 2016 , the Czech government agreed to register “Czechia” as the country’s short name in international databases (like those used by the United Nations and foreign ministries).

From that point:

• Short name : Czechia (for maps, sports, marketing, informal international use).

• Official long name : Czech Republic (for constitutions, treaties, very formal state documents).

Some institutions and events (for example, Eurovision entries, sports federations, and media) have been slow or inconsistent in adopting the new short name, so you still often see “Czech Republic” in practice.

Why did they want “Czechia”?

Key reasons:

• “Czech Republic” was seen as too long and awkward in everyday English.

• A shorter name was considered better for marketing and national branding , like using “France” rather than “French Republic.”

• The word “Czechia” has historical roots and ties in better with the Czech self‑designation and older terms for the lands.

So when you see the question “When did Czechia change its name?” the precise answer is: in April 2016, the Czech state approved “Czechia” as its official short English name, while keeping “Czech Republic” as the formal name.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.