Suriname
/ˌsʊrɪˈnɑːm/noun
A country on the northeastern coast of South America, formerly a Dutch colony.
Did you know?The name is generally linked to the Indigenous Surinen people, but scholars cannot establish with certainty whether Suriname originally meant ‘land of the Surinen’ or came from another local language.
Etymological Timeline
Before European colonization
Indigenous languages of Guiana
Surinen
“Name recorded for an Indigenous people associated with the region; the exact original form and meaning are uncertain.”
16th Century
Spanish and English usage
Suriname / Surinam
“Early European forms used for the river and surrounding territory.”
17th Century
Dutch
Suriname
“Dutch colonial name for the settlement and territory along the Suriname River.”
1667
Dutch
Suriname
“The territory became an English possession ceded to the Netherlands, developing into the Dutch colony of Suriname.”
1975
Modern English
Suriname
“Official name adopted at independence from the Netherlands.”
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