Which country was formerly named Upper Volta? "Upper Volta" was the name of the French colony in the upper section of river Volta. In 1958 the country gained independence, and in 1984 it changed its name to “Burkina Faso”. The new name was createf from words in two different local languages: “Burkina” means “honest” in Mossi language, “Faso” means “fatherland” in Dyula language. reach: rather globalAfricageographyhistorical nameshistoryRepublic of Upper VoltaWestern Africa+1 Very interesting! Hitter smasher+1 Very interesting! BrainCharge+1 Very interesting! Vijay