➡️
Ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobane. Arabs referred to it as Serendib. Later European mapmakers called it Ceylon, a name still used occasionally for trade purposes. It officially became Sri Lanka in 1972.
Several earlier names of Sri Lanka are:
, under Portuguese rule (1597–1658). They ruled greater parts of former Kotte Kingdom and Jaffna Kingdom.
, under Dutch rule (1640–1796). They succeeded over the Portuguese Empire in Sri Lanka and also the Sitawaka Kingdom.
, under British rule (1815–1948). They annexed the whole island including the last kingdoms of Sri Lanka, the Kandy Kingdom and Vanni Kingdom.
, the name of the island ruled by Ravana in Hindu epic Ramayana. The etymology is uncertain, however it is thought that the word has Austro-Asiatic origin. Lanka means “island” in many languages of tribals in India, and it is thought that the name was bestowed on the island by the aboriginals of Sri Lanka, the Veddas. Other derivates of the name include the Sinhalese names Lankadipa, Lakbima and also the Tamil name Ilankai. Sri Lanka, the official name stems also from this term with the additional “Sri” which means holy in sanskrit. The island has also been referred as Ratnadeep (Sanskrit “Gem island”).
. The Greek geographer, Pliny of 2nd AD mentions that the island was previously known by this name, however that the island was presently called Salike.
, was an ancient name for Sri Lanka that was also bestowed on by the Greeks. The word is probably derived from Tambapanni, which is thought to be the name bestowed on the island by the mythical king Vijaya, which means “copper-colored”. Other scholars suggest that the word Tambapanni is again derived from Tamaraparani, the name of a river that flows in Tamil Nadu.
, is an ancient name for Sri Lanka that is thill this date used by Tamils. The term is first mentioned in the Tamil poetic work Pattinappalai of 1st century BCE. There are two popular theories for the etymology. One derives it from Sihala or Simhala. The other theory states that the word is attested before the use of Sihala, and that the word has Dravidian origin due to the retroflex approximate ”ழ/ഴ”-”zha/ḻ” in the name (ஈழம் - īḻam) that is unique to only Dravidian languages and that the word is linked with the meaning of toddy or is derived from Cheralam “Land of Cheras”.
, is an ancient name of the island, that was used on the island from at least 3rd or 4th century AD. The name is first mentioned in an inscription in Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh. The name is also mentioned in the 4th century AD Pali chronicle Dipavamsa. The name is thought to earn it name from the mythical landing of the Prince Vijaya, who was according to the legend the grandson of a lion. The name is translated as “lion blood”. Other derivates of the word is Sinhala, Simhala, Sinhaladipa.
, was used by the Arabs and Persians. The Romans also used Serendivis. It is notable that the word Serendipity derived from this word. The etymology is uncertain, and is thought to be derived from Sinhaladiva (Sinhalese island) or Cherantheevu (Chera island). The colonial names Ceilao, Zeylan, Ceylon and other similar names derived from this term.
