Names of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is an island nation in the northern Indian Ocean. Over centuries it has been known by many names, in different languages and places.
Key names and what they mean or where they came from
- Silam / Sihalam: An early name from Pali. In Sinhala it became Silam or Sinhale, and in Tamil Ilam. It is linked to the idea of the island as a “lion’s home” (Siha = lion).
- Sihala / Sinhale: Names related to the Sinhala people and language.
- Sailan / Saylan: Used in the 9th century; later European traders called it Ceilão (Portuguese, 1505), and the Dutch used Zeilan or Zeylan.
- Ceylon: The English name used widely until 1972, derived from Ceilão.
- Lanka: A Sanskrit word meaning “island.” It appears in ancient texts like the Ramayana, where Lanka is the home of the king Ravana. The use of Lanka for the country grew between the 10th and 12th centuries. The form Lanka later combined with the honorific Sri to give Sri Lanka.
- Sri Lanka: The modern name, with Sri as a respectful honorific. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party and other groups helped popularize it in the 20th century. In 1972 the country’s official name changed to reflect a new republic, and the constitution in 1978 named it the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
- Serendip / Serendib: Persian and Arab forms (also used in Hindustani); these names show up in old travel writings and poetry.
- Tamraparni / Taprobane: An ancient name adopted by some scholars as the oldest recorded form. The Greeks knew the island as Taprobana. In some sources it’s linked to other places and even to Sumatra.
- Eelam / Ilangai: Tamil names for the island. Eelam is tied to historical references to a Tamil-speaking people and regions; Ilangai is the Tamil form of the name.
Other traditional Sinhala names
- Lakdiva / Lakbima: names that mean “island” or are built from Lanka’s root.
In short, Sri Lanka has long been known as Silam/Sihala, Sailan, and Lanka in various languages, with Sri Lanka becoming the common modern name after the country became a republic in the 20th century.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:21 (CET).