Throughout history, Sri Lanka has been known by various names, some chosen by its own people and other names by those who came to visit, colonize, or reside in the island.
The current official name of the country of Sri Lanka is the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. However, that name was only designated as recently as 1978. According to legend as detailed in the Ramayana, one of the earliest names for Sri Lanka may have actually been Lanka, a word that simply means “island.”
The earliest name recorded for the island was Tamraparni, a name that may have existed even before the sixth century BCE. The name’s existence was recorded in Indian rock inscriptions in the third century BCE, and it was presumed to refer to the island due to the similarities between the locations described in the Indian inscriptions and that of the island.
The writings of Ptolemy the ancient Greek refer to an island known as Taprobana or Taprobane, from which a great deal of trade was conducted with the mainland of India. This is generally assumed to be another reference to Sri Lanka, as again, many of the place names mapped out by the ancient Greeks correlate with those on the island at that time.
Various other names rose during this period, most arising out of some variation of Sihaladeepa, meaning “lion’s abode,” and referring to the people of northern India who had migrated to Sri Lanka. This resulted in the island being known as Silam, which seems to have led to the derivations of “Sinhale” in Sinhalese and “Ilam” in Thamil. Persian and Arab traders referred to the island as Serendib. In the 16th century, the Portuguese left their own name for the island, Ceilão, which the Dutch changed into Zeylan or Seylan, and eventually under British rule, to the more familiar Ceylon.
The island finally gained independence from Britain in 1948, but it was not until 1972 until the new name of the Republic of Sri Lanka was finally adopted, Sri Lanka meaning “resplendent island.” The Thamil translation of Sri Lanka is Ilankai. Six years later, the official name became that by which it is still known today.
On top of these official names, Sri Lanka also has several nicknames, such as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean” or the “Teardrop of the Indian Ocean,” given its shape and location.