The Union Home Ministry of India has officially notified "Keralam" as the official name for the state of Kerala [1].
The change marks the culmination of a legislative process to align the state's official designation with local preferences and a resolution from the state assembly.
In a gazette notification, the ministry said that under the powers of the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Act, 2026, the government appoints Aug. 25 as the date the name "Keralam" takes effect [4]. The transition follows the passage of the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, through both houses of Parliament [1].
The legislative timeline began earlier this month when Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha on Aug. 10 [3]. The Lok Sabha passed the bill on Aug. 11 [1], and the Rajya Sabha followed with its passage on Aug. 12 [1].
This administrative shift comes after the Kerala state assembly passed a resolution urging the central government to change the name [2]. The final act, the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Act, 2026, codified the change [2].
While some reporting indicated the change was effective on Aug. 24, the official gazette notification specifies the effective date as Aug. 25 [4]. A spokesperson for the Union Home Ministry said the notification officially establishes Keralam as the new name for the southern state [2].
“The Union Home Ministry has officially notified Keralam as the new name for the southern state of Kerala.”
The renaming of Kerala to Keralam represents a formal shift toward linguistic and cultural alignment by adopting the name as it is used in the local language. Because this required a central act of Parliament and a gazette notification, the change is legally binding across all federal and state administrative records in India.
