Although it may not seem like it, almost all the countries in the world have changed their names throughout history. The last to do so, for example, was Turkey, which changed its name from Turkey to Türkiye after a rebranding campaign promoted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who wanted to better reflect the national identity and the Turkish language.
However, there are those who have never changed their name: Bulgaria, one of the oldest countries in Europe. Founded in the year 681 AD, it has always had the same name. Bulgaria comes from the name of the Bulgarian tribe, an ethnic group of Turkish origin that migrated from Central Asia to Eastern Europe and the Balkan Peninsula. Since then, they have never changed their name.
Despite invasions or foreign domination, Bulgarians have always preserved their language, traditions and customs, which also helped to maintain the same name for the country. This was what happened, for example, during the almost 500 years of Ottoman domination. They always maintained their identity.
The prevailing political system has also not mattered. Bulgaria was always there, whether with the First and Second Bulgarian Empire, through the Principality of Bulgaria, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, the People’s Republic of Bulgaria or the Republic of Bulgaria.
