(Definitive) Country Name Tier List

What is the best country name? What is the worst? Critics say it is subjective, impossible to determine. But I know some names are better than others. Not all countries have 'good’ names. Some are better, others worse. This is not a subjective opinion. There are clear criteria which make one country's name better than another.

To help conceptualize this I have created an eight tier hierarchy. We can use this to visualize which countries have good names, and which don't.

The Tiers

Tier 1 are unique names. These are the best country names. They are names and nothing more. More than half of the world's countries have unique names. This is the top tier, what a country name aspires to be. Examples: China, Norway.

Tier 2, these are countries whose names have a conjunction or an article. These are great names, the only problem is they have too many words. There is unnecessary fluff. Two words when one would suffice. Trinidad, great name. Tobago, great name. Trinidad and Tobago, not as good. Examples: Bosnia and Herzegovina, The Bahamas

Tier 3 is countries which end in -ia. More than 30 countries' names use this ending. There is nothing wrong with these names, but they lack the uniqueness of Tier 1 and 2. Examples: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Australia, Austria, you get the idea.

Tier 4, island and lands. Derivative. Boring as can be. Examples: Faroe Islands, Finland

Tier 5, -stans. Same as Tier 4, but with a less valuable brand due to years of mismanagement and neglect. Examples: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan

Tier 6, adjectives. Most of these are directional, North, South, East and West, but adjectives are a big red flag. Korea, great name, North Korea, not even close. Guinea, another excellent, Tier 1 name. Equatorial Guinea, no sir. Macedonia, a respectable tier 3, North Macedonia, Tier 6. Examples: Saudi Arabia, South Africa

Tier 7, more than one adjective. Some of the most enjoyable names to say are Tier 7. But, these are also some of the most 'invented by a 3rd grader' names out there. Examples: Democratic Republic of the Congo, United Arab Emirates

Tier 8, saints. These are the worst names we have. Not unique, and unrelated to anything. They are the names of saints. Each no different from each other, completely interchangeable. Entire countries named because some explorers first saw them near some feast days. These are arbitrary, shameful names. Examples: Saint Lucia, San Marino

Notable name changes

Some countries have changed their names in recent years resulting in significant improvements. For example, Swaziland became Eswatini, a jump from Tier 4 to 1.

The Czech Republic has attempted a name change to Czechia, an improvement from Tier 7 to 3. Implementation of the change has been sporadic.

Turkey became Türkiye, and Cape Verde became Cabo Verde, both lateral moves.

The FYROM became North Macedonia, an improvement from Tier 7 to 6. It is unable to adopt the unmodified, Tier 3 Macedonia, due to a deal over the name it made with Greece.

Micronesia became the Federated States of Micronesia, a significant drop from Tier 3 to 7.

Controversies

Sri Lanka. The Sri in Sri Lanka is an adjective, placing it in Tier 6. The Lanka in Sri Lanka means island so it could belong in Tier 4. Additionally, taken as a proper noun all together, it is a Tier 1 name.

Islands. The Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, and the Faroe Islands. Do they belong in Tier 4 with the -lands, or in Tier 6 with the Adjectives?

The Bosnia and Herzegovina question. Does the -ia ending of Bosnia relegate it to Tier 3? If the name was Herzegovina and Bosnia, it is Tier 3. Does the uniqueness of Herzegovina overcome the -ia of Bosnia?

Nevis is being held down by St. Kitts. As are the Grenadines by St. Vincent.