For centuries, the country known today as Iran was widely called Persia in the Western world. The name appeared in maps, diplomatic documents, and historical writings across Europe and beyond.
However, in the twentieth century the country officially adopted the name Iran for international use. This change was not sudden or arbitrary; it reflected deeper cultural, political, and historical developments.
The Origins of the Name Persia
The name Persia has its roots in ancient Greek descriptions of the region. Greek historians used the word “Persis,” derived from “Parsa,” a region in southern Iran that served as the heartland of the ancient Persian Empire.
Because the Achaemenid rulers came from this area, the Greeks began referring to the entire empire as Persia.
Over time, the name Persia became widely used in Europe to describe the entire country and its civilization. Travelers, diplomats, and scholars used it in literature, maps, and political correspondence.
For centuries this exonym, meaning a name used by outsiders, dominated international discourse even though it did not fully represent the country’s internal identity.
Within the country itself, people rarely used the name Persia to describe their homeland. Instead, they used variations of the word Iran, a term with far older cultural and linguistic roots.
The Meaning of Iran
The word Iran comes from ancient Iranian languages and is linked to the term “Aryan,” which historically referred to Indo-Iranian peoples. In its traditional sense, Iran means “Land of the Aryans,” referring to the cultural and linguistic heritage of the region’s early inhabitants.
Historical texts from the Sassanian era, as well as ancient religious writings such as the Avesta, already used forms of the word Iran or Iranshahr to describe the land and its people.
These sources demonstrate that the name Iran was not a modern invention but had been used internally for many centuries.
Thus, while foreigners used the name Persia, the inhabitants themselves commonly referred to their country as Iran. This difference between external and internal naming would eventually become a central factor in the decision to change the country’s official international name.
The 1935 Decision by Reza Shah
The official shift occurred in 1935 during the rule of Reza Shah Pahlavi. That year, the Iranian government formally requested that foreign governments and international organizations use the name Iran instead of Persia in official communication.
The request was sent to embassies and diplomatic missions around the world. From that point forward, international correspondence, treaties, and official documents began referring to the country as Iran rather than Persia.
This decision marked an important moment in the country’s modern history. Although the people had long used the name Iran internally, the international community gradually adopted it after the government’s request.
National Identity and Modernization
One of the key motivations behind the change was the desire to strengthen national identity. Reza Shah sought to modernize the country and present it as a unified and independent nation.
Using the indigenous name Iran was seen as a way to emphasize historical continuity and cultural authenticity.
The name Persia was associated mainly with one ethnic group, the Persians, even though the country contained many other communities such as Azeris, Kurds, and other ethnic groups.
By adopting the name Iran, the government aimed to create a broader national identity that represented all inhabitants rather than a single cultural group.
In this sense, the renaming was partly a political strategy to reinforce unity and reduce the perception that the state belonged only to Persian culture.
International Politics and Symbolism
Another factor behind the change was the political atmosphere of the early twentieth century. Reza Shah was pursuing reforms designed to modernize Iran and reduce foreign influence.
Adopting the country’s native name symbolized a new era and a break from the period when foreign powers, particularly Britain and Russia, heavily influenced Persian affairs.
Some historians also note that diplomatic contacts in Europe, especially in Germany, encouraged the use of the name Iran because of its linguistic connection to the word “Aryan.”
During the 1930s this term carried ideological significance in Europe. While the influence of this factor remains debated among scholars, it formed part of the broader political context of the time.
Regardless of these influences, the name change ultimately reflected the Iranian government’s attempt to redefine how the country was perceived internationally.
Persia and Iran in Modern Usage
Although Iran became the official international name after 1935, the word Persia did not disappear completely. It remains widely used when referring to cultural and historical subjects such as Persian art, Persian literature, Persian language, and even the Persian cats.
Many historians and scholars still use Persia when discussing ancient empires such as the Achaemenid or Sassanian states. In these contexts, the term highlights the historical civilization that flourished in the region long before the modern nation-state emerged.
Today, Iran is the official name used in diplomacy, politics, and international relations, while Persia survives primarily as a cultural and historical term.
