What Is the UK's Official Name Today? From Great Britain and Ireland to Current Title

The modern official name of the sovereign state is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Historical Evolution of the Name

• 1707: Acts of Union join England and Scotland → Kingdom of Great Britain
• 1801: Act of Union adds Ireland → United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
• 1922: Irish Free State secedes (Northern Ireland remains) → United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (formalised 1927)

What the Name Means

• Great Britain: The largest island (England, Scotland, Wales)
• Northern Ireland: The part of Ireland remaining in the UK
• United Kingdom: Political union of these territories

Common short forms: "United Kingdom," "UK," "Britain" (informally). The term "Great Britain" technically refers only to the island, not the state.