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{{Short description|Various names used for Armenia}}
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{{History of Armenia}}
The name ''[[Armenia]]'' entered English via Latin, from Ancient Greek {{lang|grc|[[wikt:Ἀρμενία|Ἀρμενία]]}}.

The [[Armenian language|Armenian]] [[endonym]] for the Armenian people and country is {{Transliteration|hy|hay}} (pl. {{Transliteration|hy|hayer}}) and {{Transliteration|hy|Hayastan}}, respectively. The exact [[Etymology|etymologies]] of the names of Armenia are unknown, and there are various speculative attempts to connect them to older [[Toponymy|toponyms]] or [[ethnonym]]s.

== Armenia/Armenians ==
''Armenia'' and ''Armenians'' are the most common names used internationally to refer to the [[Armenia|country Armenia]] and the [[Armenians|Armenian people]]. [[Armenians]] themselves do not use it while speaking [[Armenian language|Armenian]], making it an [[exonym]].

===Etymology===
Multiple theories and speculations exist about the origin of the name ''Armenia'', but no consensus has been reached by historians and linguists. [[Armenian studies|Armenologist]] [[Nicholas Adontz]] has rejected some of the speculations in his 1946 book.''<ref>Nicholas Adontz. "Histoire d'Arménie : les origines, du Xe siècle au VIe siècle av. J.C.", Paris 1946: "Armani has absolutely no relation to Armenia."</ref>''

The earliest unambiguous and universally accepted attestation of the name dates to the 6th century BC, from the trilingual [[Behistun Inscription]], where the names ''[[c2:𐎠𐎼𐎷𐎡𐎴#Old Persian|Armina]]'' (in [[Old Persian language|Old Persian]]), ''Harminuya'' (in [[Elamite language|Elamite]]), and [[Urartu|''Urashtu'']] (in [[Babylonia]]n) and their equivalent [[demonym]]s are used in reference to Armenia and people from Armenia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/armenia-i|title=ARMENIA and IRAN i. The Achaemenid province – Encyclopaedia Iranica|date=2019-12-14|access-date=2020-01-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214160232/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/armenia-i|archive-date=2019-12-14}}</ref> In [[Ancient Greek language|Greek]], {{lang|grc|[[wikt:Ἀρμένιος|Αρμένιοι]]}} (meaning ''Armenians'') is attested from about the same time, perhaps the earliest reference being a fragment attributed to [[Hecataeus of Miletus]] (c. 476&nbsp;BC).<ref>"{{lang|grc|Χαλύβοισι πρὸς νότον Ἀρμένιοι ὁμουρέουσι}} (The Armenians border on the [[Chalybes]] to the south)". {{Cite book|title=The Kingdom of Armenia|last=Chahin|first=Mark|publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=2001|isbn=0-7007-1452-9|location=London|pages=fr. 203}}</ref>

==== From Indo-European ''*ar-'' ====
Some authors have connected ''Armenia'' to the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] root ''*ar-'' meaning "to assemble".<ref>[[Tamaz V. Gamkrelidze|T. V. Gamkrelidze]] and [[Vyacheslav Ivanov (philologist)|V. V. Ivanov]], ''The Early History of Indo-European (aka Aryan) Languages'', Scientific American, March 1990;{{Page needed|date=September 2010}} James P. Mallory, "Kuro-Araxes Culture", ''Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture,'' Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997.{{Page needed|date=September 2010}}</ref>

==== From ''Armani'' and/or ''Armânum'' ====
Early 20th century Armenologists have suggested that Old Persian [[c2:𐎠𐎼𐎷𐎡𐎴#Old Persian|𐎠𐎼𐎷𐎡𐎴]] ''a-r-mi-i-n(a)'' and the Greek ''Armenoi'' are continuations of an Assyrian toponym ''Armânum'' or ''Armanî''.<ref>H. A. Rigg (1937).</ref> There are certain [[Bronze Age]] records identified with the toponym in both [[Mesopotamian]] and [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] sources. The earliest is from an inscription which mentions ''[[Armani (kingdom)|Armânum]]'' together with ''[[Ibla (Mesopotamia)|Ibla]]'' as territories conquered by [[Naram-Sin of Akkad]] in c. 2250 BC<ref>surviving in an early Babylonian copy, ca. 2200 BC, URI 275, lines I.7, 13; II.4; III.3, 30.</ref> identified with an Akkadian colony in the [[Diarbekr]] region.<ref>Horace Abram Rigg, Jr., A Note on the Names Armânum and Urartu, Journal of the American Oriental Society (1937).</ref> Many historians, such as [[Wayne Horowitz]], identify ''Armanî'' which was conquered by Naram-Sin of Akkad, with the Syrian city of [[Aleppo]].<ref>Wayne Horowitz, [https://books.google.com/books?id=P8fl8BXpR0MC&dq=ebla+arman&pg=PA82 ''Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography''], Eisenbrauns 1998, {{ISBN|0-931464-99-4}}</ref>

''Armenia'' has also been claimed as a variant of ''Urmani'' (or ''Urmenu''), attested epigraphically in an inscription of [[Menuas of Urartu]].<ref>[[Vahan Kurkjian]], ''History of Armenia'', Michigan 1968 [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Asia/Armenia/_Texts/KURARM/4*.html]</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=June 2010}}

It is possible that the name ''Armenia'' originates in ''Armini'', Urartian for "inhabitant of Arme" or "Armean country."<ref>Armen Petrosyan. ''The Indo-European and Ancient Near Eastern Sources of the Armenian Epic''. ''Journal of Indo-European Studies.'' Institute for the Study of Man. 2002. p. 184. [https://www.academia.edu/3656244/The_Indo_European_and_Ancient_Near_Eastern_Sources_of_the_Armenian_Epic_Washington_D_C_2002?auto=download]</ref> The Arme tribe of Urartian texts may have been the [[Urumeans|Urumu]], who in the 12th century BC attempted to invade Assyria from the north with their allies the [[Mushki]] and the [[Kaskians]]. The Urumu apparently settled in the vicinity of [[Sason]], lending their name to the regions of Arme and the nearby lands of Urme and Inner Urumu.<ref>Armen Petrosyan. ''The Indo-European and Ancient Near Eastern Sources of the Armenian Epic''. ''Journal of Indo-European Studies''. Institute for the Study of Man. 2002. pp. 166-167. [https://www.academia.edu/3656244/The_Indo_European_and_Ancient_Near_Eastern_Sources_of_the_Armenian_Epic_Washington_D_C_2002?auto=download]</ref>

==== From ''Har-Minni'' ====
Alternatively, ''Armenia'' is interpreted by some as ''<sup>ḪAR</sup>Minni'', that is, "the mountainous region of the Minni".<ref>Easton's Bible Dictionary</ref> ''Minni'' (מנּי) is also a Biblical name of the region, appearing in the Bible ({{bibleref|Jeremiah|51:27}}) alongside [[Urartu|Ararat]] and [[Ashkenaz]], probably the same as the ''Minnai'' of Assyrian inscriptions,<ref>International Standard Bible Encyclopedia s.v. Minni</ref> corresponding to the [[Manneans|Mannai]]. The [[Elamite language|Elamite]] name for Armenia was inscribed as ''har-mi-nu-ya''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cdli.ucla.edu/files/publications/cdlb2017_003.pdf|date=2019-08-01|access-date=2020-01-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801194257/https://cdli.ucla.edu/files/publications/cdlb2017_003.pdf|archive-date=2019-08-01|title=Home }}</ref>

==== From ''Erimena'' ====
The name ''Erimena'' appears in Urartian inscriptions as the father of king [[Rusa III]], which can be interpreted to mean "Rusa, son of the Armenian".<ref>{{Cite book|title=The kingdom of Armenia|last=Chahin, M., 1912-|isbn=978-1-136-85243-5|location=London|pages=104|oclc=863157664|quote=Dr R.D. Barnett suggests, and he is supported by other scholars, the possibility of Erimena meaning Armenian: therefore, ‘Rusa, son of the Armenian.’|date = 2013-11-05}}</ref>

==== ''Armen'' tribe hypothesis ====
There have been further speculations as to the existence of a Bronze Age tribe of the ''Armens'' (''Armans'', ''Armani''; [[Armenian language|Armenian]]: {{lang|hy|Արմեններ}} {{lang|hy-Latn|Armenner}}, {{lang|hy|Առամեններ}} {{lang|hy-Latn|Aṙamenner}}), either identical to or forming a subset of the [[Hayasa-Azzi]].<ref>Rafael Ishkhanyan, "Illustrated History of Armenia," Yerevan, 1989</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=June 2010}}<ref name="Bauer2">Elisabeth Bauer. ''Armenia: Past and Present'' (1981), p. 49</ref> In this case, ''Armenia'' would be an [[ethnonym]] rather than a [[Toponymy|toponym]]. Attestations of such a tribe have never been found.

==== From ''Aram'' and/or ''Arame'' ====
[[History of Armenia (book)|Armenian tradition]] has an [[eponymous ancestor]], [[Aram (given name)|Aram]], a lineal descendant of [[Hayk]] ({{lang|hy|Հայկ}}), son of Harma and father of [[Ara the Beautiful]] (according to classical Armenian historian [[Moses of Chorene]]).<ref>Moses of Chorene,[http://www.vehi.net/istoriya/armenia/khorenaci/index.html ''The History of Armenia''], Book 1, Ch. 12 {{in lang|ru}}</ref><ref name="battles2">''History of Armenia'' by Father Michael Chamich from B.C. 2247 to the Year of Christ 1780, or 1229 of the Armenian era, Bishop's College Press, Calcutta, 1827, page 19: "[Aram] was the first to raise the Armenian name to any degree of renown; so that contemporary nations ... called them the Aramians, or followers of [[Aram (son of Harma)|Aram]], a name which has been corrupted into Armenians; and the country they inhabited, by universal consent, took the name of Armenia."</ref> A much older [[Aram, son of Shem|Aram]], the son of [[Shem]], is also mentioned from the [[Book of Genesis]], Historian [[Josephus|Flavius Josephus]],<ref>Josephus, Flavius. ''Antiquities of the Jews''. Book 1, section 143.</ref> and the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]], as being the sovereign over "all the land of Mesopotamia between the [[Tigris]] and the [[Euphrates]] to the north of the Chaldees to the border of the mountains of Asshur and the land of 'Arara."<ref>Charles, R.H. (1913). ''The Book of Jubilees 9:5 from The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament''. Clarendon Press. http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/jubilees/9.htmhttps://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=papers</ref> ''[[c2:Արամ|Aram]]'' is sometimes equated with [[Arame of Urartu]], the earliest known king of [[Urartu]].<ref>"Արամ" in H. Ačaṙean (1926-35), ''Hayocʿ Anjnanunneri Baṙaran'' (Yerevan: Yerevan State University), 2nd ed., 1942-62</ref> The endonym ''Hayk’'' (from [[Classical Armenian]]) in the same tradition is traced to Hayk himself.<ref>Razmik Panossian, The Armenians: From Kings And Priests to Merchants And Commissars, [[Columbia University Press]] (2006), {{ISBN|978-0-231-13926-7}}, p. 106.</ref>

The names ''Armen'' and ''Arman'', feminine ''Arminé'', are common given names by Armenians. ''Armin'' is also a [[Persian language|Persian]] given name.<ref>Parsiana,  ''Book of Iranian Names''[http://www.avesta.org/znames.htm]: a dweller of the [[Garden of Eden]], a son of king [[Kavadh I|Kobad]]</ref>

== Hayastan/Hayk/Hayer ==
[[Armenians|Armenian people]] use names derived from the stem ''hay-'' as their [[endonym]]. ''Hay'' (singular) and ''Hayer'' (plural) is used to refer to the Armenian people. ''Hayastan'' (H''ay'' + ''[[wikt:-ա-|-a-]]'' + ''[[-stan]]'') is used to refer to their country, while ''Hayk'' was used historically and is still used today romantically.

=== Etymology ===

==== From ''Hatti'' ====
According to [[Igor M. Diakonoff|Diakonoff]], the ethnonym may derive from the unattested [[Proto-Armenian language|Proto-Armenian]] name ''*hatiyos or *hatyos → *hayo → hay,''<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/armenia-iii|title=ARMENIA AND IRAN iii. Armenian Religion – Encyclopaedia Iranica|website=www.iranicaonline.org|access-date=2020-01-04|quote=The origin of Arm. hay “Armenian” is uncertain, but it may come from the name of the Hittites, through whose territory the early colonizers passed: Proto-Arm. *hatiyos yields *hayo, shortened to hay (I. M. D’yakonov, Predystoriya armyanskogo naroda, Erevan, 1968, p. 236).}}</ref><ref>Kopeček, V., Hoch, T., Baar, V. (2011). The Origins of Toponyms and Ethnonyms in The Region of the South Caucasus. Region and Regionalism 10(2): 201–211.</ref> related to [[Urartian language|Urartian]] 𒆳𒄩𒀀𒋼 (''<sup>KUR</sup>ḫa-a-te'', "the land of Hittites"), from [[Hittite language|Hittite]] 𒄩𒋾 (ḫa-ti /Ḫatti/). In the Armenian language, the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] intervocalic ''*-t-'' drops and yields /y/.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ling.hse.ru/data/2014/09/01/1313574129/Hrach%20Martirosyan%20-%20Handout.pdf |title=Origins and historical development of the Armenian language |date=2020-01-05|page=3|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200105001654/https://ling.hse.ru/data/2014/09/01/1313574129/Hrach%20Martirosyan%20-%20Handout.pdf|archive-date=2020-01-05|access-date=2020-01-05|quote=The PIE initial *p- yields Arm. h-, and the intervocalic *-t- drops: hayr ‘father’: Skt. pitā, Gr. πατήρ, Lat. pater, OHG fater, Toch. B pācer}}</ref> Compare ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ph₂tḗr|*ph₂tḗr]]'' → ''*hatir'' → ''*hayir'' → ''[[wikt:հայր#Old Armenian|hayr]]'' ("father"). Other examples include ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂eh₁ter-|*h₂eh₁ter-]]'' → ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Iranian/ātr-|*ātr-]]'' → ''*ayr'' → ''[[wikt:այրեմ#Old Armenian|ayrem]]'' ("burn"), ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰréh₂tēr|*bʰréh₂tēr]]'' → ''[[wikt:եղբայր#Old Armenian|ełbayr]]'' ("brother").

The name Ḫāte was given by Urartians to all lands west of [[Euphrates]], including the territory around [[Malatya]] (a region assumed to be occupied by speakers of Proto-Armenians). Diakonoff theorized that when the Urartians were assimilated among the Proto-Armenians, they took over their Indo-European language and called themselves by the same name of the "Hittites".<ref>[[Igor M. Diakonoff|Dʹjakonov, I. M.]] (1968), [[Suren Yeremian|S. T. Jeremjan]], editor, Predystorija armjanskovo naroda. Istorija Armjanskovo nagorʹja s 1500 po 500 g. do n.e. Xurrity, luvijcy, protoarmjane ''(The Pre-History of the Armenian People. The History of the Armenian Highland from 1500 to 500 BC. Hurrians, Luwians, Proto-Armenians)'' (in Russian), Yerevan: Academy Press, page 236</ref>

==== From ''Hayasa'' ====
Others suggest that the etymology of the ''hay-'' stem derives from the name of a realm in proximity to the [[Armenian Highlands]] called [[Hayasa-Azzi|''Ḫayaša'']].<ref name=":02" />

The presumption is that the name ''Hayk''' would derive from ''Hayasa'', but Diakonoff considers this "not provable and in its very essence not probable." According to Kapantsjan, the suffix ''-sa'' in ''Hayasa'' as the ancient [[Luwian language|Luwian]] toponymical suffix ''-ssas'', widely in use throughout all of [[Anatolia]], but this suffix is not present in the Armenian language. It is also argued that the initial ''ḫ'' in ''Ḫayaša'' yielding ''/h/'' in Armenian is improbable.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.attalus.org/armenian/diakph10.htm|title=I. M. Diakonoff, The Pre-history of the Armenian People. The Formation of the Armenian People. Remote and Classical Antiquity|date=2020-01-05|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200105004727/http://www.attalus.org/armenian/diakph10.htm|archive-date=2020-01-05|access-date=2020-01-05|quote=There remains the linguistic succession. The assumption of a development from the hypothetical Haiasa language to Old Armenian has no base in any known linguistic fact whatever. It rests entirely on a certain similarity between the name of the country Haiasa (probably /xaiasa-/, with the Arm. sound x) and the self-appellation of the Armenian--hayk' (with the sound h) (52). From what has already been said above about the nature of ethnonyms in general it is evident that this similarity can in no way serve as proof of an organic connection between these terms. Moreover, as the Old Armenian words of analogous structure show, it is difficult to say how the initial form of the word hayk' sounded. The initial consonant might have been either *p-, as in hayr "father," from I.-E. *pe"ter, or the Proto-Indo-European laryngeal *H-, as in haw "grandfather," or *h-, which itself has a different derivation in the Indo-European languages, for example, from *s-. The diphthong -ai- might also be traced to different sound combinations, including -ate-, -ati-. The stem of the word hayk' is hayo- (and not, let [114] us say, *haya- (53). Kapantsjan interprets the suffix -sa in Haiasa as the ancient Luwian toponymical suffix -ssas (54), which was certainly widely in use throughout all of Asia Minor. But there is one area where this suffix is not found at all, and this area is Armenia. Therefore in the word "Haiasa" the element -sa, if it is a suffix, has no relation to Old Armenian.}}</ref> However, [[Vartan Matiossian]] and others argue that since Hayasa is a Hittite (or Hittite-ized) exonym applied to a foreign land, the ''-asa'' suffix can still mean "land of."<ref name="Matiossian, Vartan 2009 p. 75">Matiossian, Vartan (2009). "Azzi-Hayasa on the Black Sea? Another Puzzle of Armenian Origins". In Hovannisian, Richard G (ed.). Armenian Pontus : the Trebizond-Black Sea communities. UCLA Armenian History and Culture Series. p. 75.</ref> Additionally, a pronunciation like "Ḫayasa" (i.e. "Khayasa") can be reconciled with ''Hay'' as the Hittite ''h'' and ''kh'' phonemes are interchangeable, a feature present in certain Armenian dialects as well.<ref name="Matiossian, Vartan 2009 p. 75"/>

==== From ''Hayk'' ====
According to Armenian historiographic tradition, the [[endonym]] ''Hayk’'' (Հայք) comes from the legendary [[Origin myth|eponymous ancestor]] of the Armenian nation, [[Hayk]] (Հայկ).

==== From ''*h₂éyos'' ====
''Hay'' may derive from the [[Proto Indo-European]] word ''*h₂éyos'' (or possibly ''*áyos''), meaning "metal." According to this theory, Hayasa meant "land of metal," referring to the early metallurgy techniques developed in the region.<ref>{{cite book|last=Martirosyan|first=Hrach|title=Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon|url=https://archive.org/details/etymologicaldict00mart|url-access=limited|date=2010|publisher=Leiden: Brill|pages= [https://archive.org/details/etymologicaldict00mart/page/n395 382]–385|isbn=9789004173378}}</ref>

According to [[Hittitologist]] J.G. Macqueen, the region of Hayasa-Azzi was rich in metallic ores. The presence of this resource piqued the interest of the Hittites and led to frequent clashes between Hayasa-Azzi and Hatti, who needed Hayasa's metals to produce weapons.<ref>J.G. Macqueen. ''The Hittites and Their Contemporaries in Asia Minor''. London: Thames & Hudson. 1996. pp. 41-43, 54.</ref>

The Armenian Highlands and [[Pontus (region)|Pontus-region]] were famous for bronze and iron smelting techniques into the Classical-era.<ref>[[Strabo]], xi., 14.5</ref> The Ancient Greeks and Romans made mention of a people to the immediate north of Armenia called [[Chalybes]] (Χᾰ́λῠψ). Some scholars have theorized this name means "steel."

====From ''*poti''====
19th century linguists [[Friedrich Spiegel]] and [[Heinrich Kiepert]] proposed that ''hay'' might derive from ''[https://www.etymonline.com/word/*poti- *poti]'', Proto-Indo-European for "lord, master, husband." According to this theory, the name, with plural suffix, developed from ''*potiio''→''*hetiyo''→''*hatiyo''→''hay''.<ref>Matiossian, Vartan (2009). "Azzi-Hayasa on the Black Sea? Another Puzzle of Armenian Origins". In Hovannisian, Richard G (ed.). ''Armenian Pontus : the Trebizond-Black Sea communities''. UCLA Armenian History and Culture Series. p. 71.</ref> The ''p→h'' and ''t→y'' consanant shifts are common in Armenian. For example, the Proto-Indo-European word ''*pH₂tér-'' (father) became ''hayr'' in Armenian. Additionally, a vowel shift from ''o''→ ''a'' is explicable as it is present in other Indo-European languages, such as [[Sanskrit Language|Sanskrit]] ''patih'' (master, husband) and [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]] ''patis'' (husband), both descended from Proto-Indo-European ''*poti''. According to Armen Petrosyan, ''hay'' has been used to mean "husband, chief of family" in several Armenian dialects.<ref>Armen Petrosyan. "Towards the Origins of the Armenian People. The Problem of Identification of the Proto-Armenians: A Critical Review." ''Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies''. 2007. pp. 30-31.[https://www.academia.edu/3657764/Towards_the_Origins_of_the_Armenian_People._The_Problem_of_Identification_of_the_Proto-Armenians_A_Critical_Review_in_English_]</ref> Petrosyan suggests that [[Etiuni]], the name of a powerful tribal confederation to the immediate north of Urartu, may reflect a Urartian-language form of ''*hetiyo'' or ''*hatiyo''.<ref>Armen Petrosyan. "Towards the Origins of the Armenian People. The Problem of Identification of the Proto-Armenians: A Critical Review." ''Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies''. 2007. pp. 49-54.[https://www.academia.edu/3657764]</ref>

== Somkheti/Somekhi ==
The Georgian term ''[[Somkheti]]'' for Armenia and ''Somekhi'' for Armenians, and forms derived from it, are used by [[Georgians]] and some [[peoples of the Caucasus]].

=== Etymology ===
According to Diakonoff, the name is derived by [[Metathesis (linguistics)|metathesis]] from the name of the country called ''Suḫmu'' in [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] and ''Zuhma'' in [[Hittite language|Hittite]], located in the [[Upper Euphrates Valley|upper Euphrates valley]], close to [[South Caucasian peoples|South-Caucasian tribes]], and is presumed to have been inhabited by Proto-Armenians.<ref>Dʹjakonov, I. M. (1968), S. T. Jeremjan, editor, Predystorija armjanskovo naroda. Istorija Armjanskovo nagorʹja s 1500 po 500 g. do n.e. Xurrity, luvijcy, protoarmjane [The Pre-History of the Armenian People. The History of the Armenian Highland from 1500 to 500 BC. Hurrians, Luwians, Proto-Armenians (in Russian), Yerevan: Academy Press, page 234</ref>

According to [[James R. Russell|Professor James R. Russell]] of Harvard University, Somekhi refers to the [[Mushki]], who Diakonoff suggested were Armenian-speakers.

== Ararat/Urartu ==
Used historically as a synonym for [[Satrapy of Armenia|''Armenia'']],<ref>{{Cite book|title=Oriental Studies in the USSR|publisher=Nauka Publishers, Central Department of Oriental Literature|year=1988|location=Indiana University|pages=312|quote=In his view, the first Armenian state was the kingdom of "The House of Togarmah" in the area of Melid (Melitene, modern Malatya) on ... Here, as we know from the abovementionaed inscriptions, “Armenia” and “Urartu” were synonyms ...}}</ref> in the forms of ''[[Urartu]]'' in the Assyrian dialect of [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] and [[Urartu|''Urashtu'']] in the Babylonian dialect, as well as ''[[Mountains of Ararat|Ararat]]'' in [[Biblical Hebrew]]. The name ''Ararat'' was changed to ''Armenia'' in the [[Bible]] as early as the 1st century AD in [[Antiquities of the Jews|historiographical works]]<ref name="josephus">{{PACEJ|text=ants|bookno=1|chap=3|sec=5}}</ref> and [[Vulgate|very early Latin translations]].<ref name="latinvulgategen84">{{cite web|url=http://www.latinvulgate.com/verse.aspx?t=0&b=1&c=8#8_4|title=The Book of Genesis: Chapter 8|website=LatinVulgate.com|publisher=Mental Systems, Inc.|access-date=8 June 2018|ref=latinvulgategen84}}</ref> This name was attested as ''Uruatri'' as early as the 13th century BC by [[List of Assyrian kings#Middle Assyrian kings (1365/1353–912 BC)|Assyrian king]] [[Shalmaneser I]], and it was used interchangeably with ''Armenia''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/armenia-i|title=ARMENIA and IRAN i. The Achaemenid province – Encyclopaedia Iranica|date=2019-12-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214160232/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/armenia-i|archive-date=2019-12-14|access-date=2020-01-18|quote=Armina is named as a province (satrapy) of the Achaemenid empire; the inhabitants are called Arminiya- “Armenian.” [...] it is rendered phonetically in Elamite as Har-mi-nu-ya (-ip), etc. The inscriptions’ Babylonian versions, however, use KURú-ra-áš-ṭu “Urartu” and LUú-ra-áš-ṭa-a-a “Urartean,” i.e., the name of the kingdom (and its inhabitants)}}</ref> until the last known attestation from the 5th century BC by [[Xerxes I|Xerxes]] in his [[Xerxes I's inscription at Van|XV Inscriptions]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Foes from the northern frontier : invading hordes from the Russian steppes|last=Yamauchi, Edwin M.|date=2003|publisher=Wipf and Stock Pub|isbn=1-59244-214-5|location=Eugene, Ore.|pages=36|oclc=54451068|quote=The name ''Urashtu'' (a variant for Urartu) is encountered for the last time in the inscriptions of Xerxes (486–465). In the trilingual texts of Darius (522–486) the Old Persian word which corresponds to the Akkadian ''Urashtu'' is ''Armina''.}}</ref> Sometime during the early periods of [[Classical antiquity|Classical Antiquity]], the use of ''Urartu'' declined and was fully replaced with ''Armenia''. The name continued to be used in the form of ''[[Ayrarat]]''<ref>{{Cite book|title=Armenian folk-tales and fables|last=Downing, Charles, folklorist.|date=1993|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-274155-1|location=Oxford|pages=ix|oclc=29299405|quote=[...] Masis, a name (''Masios'') used by Greek geographers to denote a range to the south-west—but ‘upon the mountains of (the land of) Ararat’, i.e. a country known to the ancient Assyrians as ''Urartu''. This ancient name (for ''Urartu'' and ''Ararat'' are synonymous) is perpetuated by that of the central Armenian province of ''Ayrarat'', the source of some of the [...]}}</ref> for the central [[List of regions of ancient Armenia|province]] of [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Ancient Armenia]] (also attested as ''Aurarat'' by Strabo),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ayrarat|title=AYRARAT – Encyclopaedia Iranica|date=2019-12-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216115938/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ayrarat|archive-date=2019-12-16|access-date=2020-01-18|quote=AYRARAT, region of central Armenia in the broad plain of the upper Araxes (q.v.); the name is undoubtedly connected with the Assyrian Urautri, later Urartu, the biblical Ararat (Genesis 12:20, Jeremiah 15:13), and with the people called Alarodioi by Herodotus (3.94) in the fifth century B.C. The name Ayrarat is unknown to classical authors who were well acquainted with Armenia, and it appears to have been in purely local usage to describe the central lands of Armenia which formed the royal domains of the Arsacid kings and probably those of their Orontid and Artaxiad predecessors. In this case it may well represent the Araxenōn Pediōn (Araxena plain) of Strabo (11.14.3), which in its Armenian form Erasxajor was otherwise restricted to one district within Aurarat.}}</ref> as a scarcely used alternative name for the [[First Republic of Armenia]] (''Araratian Republic''),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://republic.mediamax.am/story/35/|title=Անդրանիկ. "Իմ զինվորն անզեն ու անձայն վկա չի դառնա" - republic.mediamax.am|date=2019-12-18|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218051444/https://republic.mediamax.am/story/35/|archive-date=2019-12-18|access-date=2020-01-01|quote=“For General Andranik and for all the Turkish-Armenian leaders and people in general, the core of Armenia was the Armenian Highland - Erzurum, Van, Mush and Sasun. The small Russian-Armenian Republic of Yerevan was a small province on the eastern outskirts of Armenia... and the liberation of that province would have no solution to the liberation of Turkish-Armenians. The axis of the Armenian Revolutionary Movement and the political goals pursued by the Armenian parties would be the liberation of the Armenian Highland. Andranik had fought for 30 years to liberate Mother Armenia.” [...] “Andranik, who had fortified himself in Zangezur, holding a hostile attitude towards the republic ‘created by the Turks’, was largely reflective of the Western Armenian mentality of that time. The National Delegation headed by Poghos Nubar in Paris enjoyed more authority among Western Armenians than the Government of the Republic of Armenia. The word "Republic of Armenia" was not acceptable to many, it was just ‘Ararat Republic’,” Vratsyan writes. Original text: «Զորավար Անդրանիկի եւ առհասարակ բոլոր թրքահայ ղեկավարներուն եւ ժողովուրդին համար բուն Հայաստանը Հայկական լեռնաշխարհն էր - Էրզրումը, Վանը, Մուշն ու Սասունը։ Ռուսահայոց Երեւանյան փոքրիկ Հանրապետությունը, բուն Հայաստանի արեւելյան ծայրամասերուն վրա փոքրիկ նահանգ մըն էր... եւ այդ նահանգին ազատագրումը ոչ մեկ լուծում կբերեր Թրքահայաստանի ազատագրության։ Հայ հեղափոխական շարժման եւ հայ կուսակցություններու հետապնդած քաղաքական նպատակներուն առանցքը կկազմեր Հայկական լեռնաշխարհին ազատագրումը։ Անդրանիկ 30 տարի պայքարած էր, որպեսզի ազատագրե Մայր Հայաստանը» («Զորավար Անդրանիկ եւ հայ հեղափոխական շարժումը. կենսագրական ակնարկ» Երեւան, 1990): [...] «Անդրանիկը, որ ամրացել էր Զանգեզուրում՝ թշնամական դիրք բռնելով «թուրքերի ձեռքով ստեղծած» հանրապետության վերաբերմամբ, զգալի չափով արտահայտիչ էր արեւմտահայերի այն ժամանակվա մտայնությանը։ Ազգային պատվիրակությունը Փարիզում Պողոս Նուբարի գլխավորությամբ ավելի հեղինակություն էր վայելում արեւմտահայերի մեջ, քան Հայաստանի Հանրապետության կառավարությունը։ «Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն» խոսքն էլ ընդունելի չէր շատերի համար, եղածը սոսկ «Արարատյան Հանրապետություն» էր»,- գրում է Վրացյանը։}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hhpress.am/?sub=hodv&hodv=20180525_1&flag=am|title=Անկախ Հայաստանի անդրանիկ տոնը|date=2018-09-05|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905023001/http://www.hhpress.am/?sub=hodv&hodv=20180525_1&flag=am|archive-date=2018-09-05|access-date=2020-01-02|quote=“…Today we will find ourselves in a beautiful and heartwarming reality. Today, we have the Armenian Republic in the Ararat province, which has been the epicenter of our political and intellectual life,” the newspaper writes. It is noteworthy that the press in the Diaspora called the newly created state “Araratian Republic.” It showed that the Armenians were demanding, and the republic declared in 1918 regarded only a small part of Armenia. Original text: …Մենք այսօր կգտնվենք գեղեցիկ ու սրտապնդիչ իրականության հանդեպ։ Այսօր ունենք Հայկական Հանրապետություն Արարատյան նահանգի մեջ, որ եղել է մեր քաղաքական եւ իմացական կյանքի ոլորանը»,–գրում է թերթը։ Հատկանշական է, որ սփյուռքում լույս տեսնող մամուլը նորաստեղծ պետությունն անվանում էր «Արարատյան Հանրապետություն»։ Դա ցույց էր տալիս, որ հայը պահանջատեր է, իսկ 1918 թվականին հռչակված հանրապետությունը դիտարկում է որպես Հայաստանի միայն մի փոքր հատվածը։}}</ref> and for a short-lived and self-proclaimed [[Kurds|Kurdish]] state known as the [[Republic of Ararat]]. Today, ''Ararat'' is used as one of the names given to the [[Mount Ararat|twin-peaked mountain]] in the [[Armenian Highlands]], in modern-day [[Turkey]], and for a [[Ararat Province|province by the same name]] in the [[Armenia|Republic of Armenia]]. It's also a common [[given name]] used by [[Armenians]].

==Modern names==
{| class="wikitable"
! Language
! Armenians
! Armenia
|-
| [[Armenian language|Armenian]]
| [[wikt:հայեր|հայեր]] (''hayer'')
| [[wikt:Հայաստան|Հայաստան]] (''Hayastan''), [[wikt:Հայք|Հայք]] (''Hayk’'')
|-
| [[Arabic language|Arabic]]
| أرمن (''Arman'')
| أرمينيا (''Armīniyā'')
|-
| [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]
| ܐܪܡܐܢܥ (''Armānī'')
| ܐܪܡܝܢܝܐ (''Armīniyā'')
|-
|[[Avar language|Avar]]
|Цӏамухъ (''C̣amuq̄'')
|ЦIамгIалал ''(C̣amghalal)''
|-
|[[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]]
| Ermənilər
| Ermənistan
|-
|[[Chechen language|Chechen]]
|Эрмалой (''Ermaloy'')
|[[wikt:Эрмалойчоь|Эрмалойчоь]] (''Ermaloyçö'')
|-
|[[Mandarin Chinese]]
|亞美尼亞人 (y''àměiníyàrén'')
|亞美尼亞 (y''àměiníyà'')
|-
|[[French language|French]]
|Arméniens
|Arménie
|-
|[[Georgian language|Georgian]]
|სომხები (''Somkhebi'')
|სომხეთი (''[[Somkheti|Somkhet'i]]'')
|-
|[[Greek language|Greek]]
|[[wikt:Ἀρμένιος|Αρμένιοι]] (Arménioi)
|[[wikt:Αρμενία|Αρμενία]] (Armenía)
|-
|[[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]
|אַרְמֶנִים (''Armenim'')
|[[wikt:ארמניה|אַרְמֶנִיָה]] (''Armeniya'')
|-
|[[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]
|Ermeni
|Ermenistan
|-
| [[Ossetian language|Ossetian]]
|сомехаг (''Somekhag'')
|Сомех (''Somekh'')
|-
| [[Persian language|Persian]]
| ارمنی (''Armani'')
| ارمنستان (''Armanestān'')
|-
| [[Russian language|Russian]]
| [[wikt:армянин|армяне]] (''armyane'')
| [[wikt:Армения|Армения]] (''Armeniya'')
|-
| [[Turkish language|Turkish]]
| [[wikt:Ermeni|Ermeniler]]
| [[wikt:Ermenistan|Ermenistan]]
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
*Horace Abram Rigg, Jr., ''A Note on the Names Armânum and Urartu'' Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 57, No. 4 (Dec., 1937), pp.&nbsp;416–418.

==External links==
*[http://www.tacentral.com/history.asp Armenian History; Tacentral.com]
*[http://www.geonames.org/AM/other-names-for-armenia.html Alternate Names or Name Variants for Republic of Armenia]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080216031248/http://un.cti.depaul.edu/Countries/Armenia/1133483520.pdf History of Armenia]

{{Armenia topics}}
{{Asia topic|Name of}}
{{Europe topic|Name of}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Name Of Armenia}}
[[Category:History of Armenia]]
[[Category:Country name etymology|Armenia]]