Pacific island nation Nauru officially adopts traditional name Naoero

The Pacific island nation of Nauru officially became the Republic of Naoero on 31 July 2026. Parliament had voted unanimously for the change in May, and President David Adeang confirmed that a planned public vote on the matter would not go ahead.

Naoero is the country's traditional name in its native language. People have used it for centuries, but the anglicised version, Nauru, became official when the country gained independence in 1968. The name already appears on the national coat of arms.

The country's international code has changed from NRU to NRO. Citizens will now be called "dei-Naoero". The United Nations, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and China have all updated their records to reflect the new name.