US Trends

when did turkey become turkiye

Turkey has asked the world to use the name “Türkiye” in English since mid‑2022, and that is when the change became official in international forums like the UN.

Quick Scoop: When did Turkey become Türkiye?

The key date

  • In June 2022, the United Nations formally registered the country’s official English name as “Republic of Türkiye” instead of “Republic of Turkey,” after receiving a request from Ankara.
  • Inside the country, the name “Türkiye Cumhuriyeti” has been used since the republic was founded on 29 October 1923; what changed in 2022 was mainly the international spelling and branding.

Why the name change happened

  • The government framed it as a rebranding move to better reflect Turkish culture, identity, and national values, arguing that “Türkiye” matches how the country is named in Turkish and how locals already refer to it.
  • Commentators also note side benefits: distancing the country’s name from the bird “turkey” and the slang meaning of “a turkey” as something foolish or a failure, and projecting a more distinct, modern image abroad.

In everyday Turkish, nothing really changed; people had been saying “Türkiye” all along—2022 was about asking the rest of the world to write it that way too.

How it shows up now (news, forums, and “latest” usage)

  • Since 2022, official documents from bodies like the UN and, later, the U.S. State Department have increasingly adopted “Türkiye,” though many media outlets and forums still use “Turkey” or mix both.
  • On Reddit and other discussion sites, threads about “when did Turkey become Türkiye” started trending around June 2022, right after the UN move, and they often link to explainer articles about the rebranding and its political timing.

Fast facts table

[1] [9][1] [1] [2][4][9] [4][9][2] [4] [9][2]
Aspect “Turkey” “Türkiye”
Language origin Anglicised form used in English for centuries.Turkish endonym used domestically since 1923.
Official English name before 2022 Republic of Turkey.Not standard in English yet.
UN registration of current name Used until June 2022.Recognised as Republic of Türkiye from June 2022 onward.
Government’s stated goal Older branding linked to bird/slang meanings.Emphasise culture, civilisation, and national values; align with local usage.
**TL;DR:** Turkey didn’t “become” a new country; it officially asked the world in 2022 to use its long‑standing Turkish name “Türkiye” in English, and the UN and other bodies adopted that spelling from June 2022 onward.

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