Exonyms

Toponymic Training Course, Vienna, 16 March – 4 April 2006 

Exonyms 

Peter Jordan 

Austrian Institute of East and Southeast European Studies

DEFINITIONS 

Exonym = conventional name = traditional name 

Endonym = internal denomination of a geographical feature 

Exonym = external denomination of a geographical feature 

Endonym = name in the language of the local population 

Exonym = name in another language

UNGEGN Glossary 

Endonym = Name of a geographical feature in one of the 

languages occurring in the area where the feature is situated 

Exonym = Name used in a specific language for a geographical 

feature situated outside the area where that language has official 

status, and differing in its form from the name used in the 

official language or languages of the area where the 

geographical feature is situated

Proposal UNGEGN WG on Exonyms 

Endonym = Name of a geographical feature in an official or 

well-established language occurring in that area where the 

feature is located. 

Exonym = Name used in a specific language for a geographical 

feature situated outside the area where that language is spoken, 

and differing in its form from the name used in an official or 

well-established language of that area where the geographical 

feature is located..

EXAMPLES FROM PRACTICE.

S 1a: Geografski atlas Slovenije [Geographical Atlas of 

Slovenia], Ljubljana 1998 

S 1b: National Atlas of Slovenia, Ljubljana 2001 

C 1: A Concise Atlas of the Republic of Croatia & of the 

Republic of Bosnia and Hercegovina, Zagreb 1993 

C 2: Veliki atlas Hrvatske [Large Atlas of Croatia], Zagreb 

2002 

PL: Atlas Śląska dolnego i opolskiego [Atlas of Lower and 

Opole Silesia], Wrocław 1997 

RO: România. Atlas istorico-geografic [Romania. Historicalgeographical 

Atlas]. Bucureşti 1996

S 1a 

Geographical Atlas of Slovenia 

Ljubljana 1998 

monolingual Slovene

S 1a 

S. 14 Ausschnitt La Coruna mit rt Finisterre

S 1a 

S. 14 Ausschnitt Champagne

S 1a 

S. 14 Ausschnitt Tauern

S 1a 

S. 14 Ausschnitt Lissabon

S 1a 

S. 16 Ausschnitt Norditalien

S 1b 

National Atlas of Slovenia 

Ljubljana 2001 

monolingual English

S 1b 

S. 21 Ausschnitt Südkärnten (AUSTRIA noch 

drauf)

S 1b 

S. 185 Ausschnitt Glossary (rechts oben)

C 1 

A Concise Atlas of the Republic of Croatia 

& 

of the Republic of Bosnia and Hercegovina 

Zagreb 1993 

monolingual English

C 1 

S. 10 Ausschnitt Iberische Halbinsel

C 1 

S. 12 Ausschnitt Triest

C 2 

Large Atlas of Croatia 

Zagreb 2002 

monolingual Croatian

C 2 

Blattübersicht: Ausschnitt Udine, Görz, Triest

C 2 

S. 2: Ausschnitt Lendava

PL 

Atlas of Lower and Opole Silesia 

Wrocław 1997 

trilingual (Polish, English, German)

PL 

Aus einer gegenwartsbezogenen Karte, die auf 

Schlesien fokussiert ist einen kleinen Auslandsteil

PL 

S. 3: Ausschnitt Friesische Inseln

RO 

Historical-geographical atlas of Romania 

Bucureşti 1996 

quadrilingual (Romanian, French, English, German)

RO 

Tafel 2: Ausschnitt Deutschland, Österreich, 

Schweiz

METHODOLOGICAL REMARKS

Monolingual mapworks are to use 

-exonyms corresponding to the editorial language 

-exonyms always accompanied by endonyms 

Multilingual mapworks are to 

-avoid exonyms 

or 

-use exonyms of all editorial languages simultaneously

SOME 

METHODOLOGICAL 

CONSIDERATIONS 

IN GENERAL 

How to decide between endonym/exonym

Assumption: 

A widely used exonym exists

Endonym 

(1) Object-related criteria 

Exonym 

Low 

Importance of the object 

object 

High 

Inside a 

community 

Object extension related to to 

language communities 

communities 

Across 

community 

boundaries 

Culture 

object 

Culture-dependency 

of the object 

Nature 

object 

Distant 

Spatial distance object-receiver community 

Close 

Currently 

existing 

Time-layer 

of the object 

Historical 

Bold = Exonym use partly imperative

Not 

including a 

generic 

term 

Endonym 

(2) Endonym (word)-related criteria 

Composition Importance of of the the endonym 

object 

Exonym 

Including a 

generic term 

Endonym 

in script 

of the 

receiver 

community 

Object extension related to language communities 

Script 

Endonym 

in another 

script

(3) Criteria referring to the relation endonymreceiver 

community 

Endonym 

Exonym 

Close 

Linguistic relation Importance endonym-receiver of the object 

language 

Distant 

Low 

Object Difficulty extension of related spelling to and language pronunciation 

communities 

High 

Distant 

Cultural (other than linguistic) relation 

Endonym-receiver community 

Close 

High 

Prestige, communication value 

of the endonym language 

Low

Endonym 

(4) Medium-related criteria 

Exonym 

Cartographic 

Means Importance of communication 

of the object 

Oral 

Inside the 

endonym 

region 


Practical use of the medium 

Outside the 

endonym 

region

Endonym 

(5) Criteria related to the level of communication 

Exonym 

Official 

Officiality Importance of communication 

of the object 

Inofficial 

Asking, 

polite 


Intention, atmosphere of communication 

From a 

position 

of strength

Endonym 

(6) Audience-related criteria 

Exonym 

Multilingual 

Linguistic Importance scope of of the the object 

audience 

Monolingual 

Bold = Edonym use imperative

BENEFITS 

OF 

USING EXONYMS

Exonyms can be pronounced according to the rules of the own 

language. 

From exonyms grammatical derivations according to the own 

grammar can be formed. 

Exonyms are more stable. 

Exonyms are anyway needed in historical and ethnographic 

contexts.

Exonyms indicate the importance of geographical objects and 

traditional relations in trade, politics and culture. 

Exonyms relate geographical objects outside a language 

community to objects within. 

Exonyms frequently replace official names that are in fact 

rarely used at the spot.

DANGERS 

OF 

USING EXONYMS

Outlining historical borders or historical ethnic situations 

Perpetuating political constructs 

Use in a politically and culturally offensive or aggressive way 

Re-animation of historical names which are not in current use 

with a wider stratum of educated people

….since exonyms are a politically sensitive 

matter!!!! 

(They may be regarded as an instrument of 

cultural imperialism.)

RECOMMENDATIONS 

OF THE 

UNITED NATIONS 

or 

How to be on the safe side

Resolution IV/20 

The Conference 

Noting that, in accordance with resolutions 18 and 19 of the Third United 

Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, further 

progress has been made in the reduction of the number of exonyms used and 

a number of States have prepared lists of their own exonyms, 

Realizing that the reduction of exonyms used has not been carried out with 

the same intensity by all States, 

Realizing further that the methods and principles aimed at a reduction of the 

number of exonyms used should constantly be reviewed for expeditious 

implementation of the resolutions and understanding that not all countries 

can govern the content of maps and atlases published within their countries, 

Recommends that exonyms giving rise to international problems should be 

used very sparingly and published in parenthesis within the nationally 

accepted standard name.

Thank you!

Exonyms

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