In the Spanish public discourse the territory traditionally inhabited by the Basques was assigned a variety of names across the centuries. Terms used might have been almost identical, with hardly noticeable difference in content and connotation, or they could have varied enormously, also when consciously used one against another. The names used demonstrate changing perceptions of the area and until today the nomenclature employed could be battleground between partisans of different options.

The below list contains names applied in Spanish cultural realm to the territory traditionally inhabited by the Basques. Terms originating from other languages (first of all Basque, though also Latin) are acknowledged if in circulation also in Spanish. The list contains indisputably proper names (e.g. "Provincias Vascongadas"), names with unclear or varying usage (e.g. "Provincias Exentas" or "provincias exentas") and names which have never acquired the status of a proper name, though they might have been intended to (e.g. "provincias hermanas"). Names differing only in terms of orthography are grouped under one heading. Non-Spanish names which barely made it to the Spanish cultural discourse (e.g. "Hirurak bat", "Zazpiak Bat", "Gascuña") are not listed.

A term sometimes used in official and semi-official prints until the mid-19th century, usually referring to the Basque lands without Navarre and specifically Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa or to Álava, Biscay, Gipuzkoa and Navarre. It started to get out of circulation when applied to Basque territories in the early 19th century, with increasing usage focused on Santander and the adjacent area; the Santander province created in 1833 was originally to be named Cantabria. In public usage the term was already firmly related to Santander when the Basque nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century. Today "Cantabria" is official name of the autonomous community centered upon Santander; also in unofficial circulation the term is used likewise, with application to Álava, Biscay, Gipuzkoa and/or Navarre only in historical discourse.

also Euskal-Erria, Euskal Erria, Euskal-Herria, Euskal Herria, Euskeria, always capitalized. In Basque literally Basque realm. The term traditionally in use in different Basque spoken dialects, it was first used in writing (in alavese Basque dialect) in the 16th century and enjoyed renaissance with growing number of Basque prints since the 1880s, filtering into Spanish and used usually as macaronic intercalation. Originally it could have referred to a territory, a population, a cultural commonality or all these components together. Most commonly it simply denoted a Basque realm, understood as a conglomerate of historical, regional, ethnic, cultural and religious ingredients. Originally it was entirely deprived of political flavor; in the late 19th century it was briefly adopted by emerging Basque nationalists (to denote a Basque land), who later abandoned it for the sake of “Euzkadi”. In the early 20th century “Euskalerria” adopted a conservative political taste (with some tension between “Euskalerria” and “Euzkadi”), entirely lost during Francoism. In the later 20th century the term was re-adopted by the nationalists; since 1979 “Euskal Herria” is one of two official Basque names of the autonomous community consisting of Biscay, Gipuzkoa and Álava. Geographical application was and is (except official use) ambiguous depending on perceived territorial coverage of the Basque realm; it could include Labourd, Lower Navarre and Soule or even territories in Argentina and Uruguay.

also Euskadi, always capitalized. In current Basque Basque land, originally meaning Basque-race land. The term was created as “Euzkadi” by Sabino Arana in the late 19th century, who felt that “Euskalerria”, “Vascongadas”, “Vasconia” or other terms did not properly reflect the idea of separate Basque race identity and the ensuing distinctive character of the territory the Basques inhabited. In the early 20th century the term filtered into Spanish, though used sparsely, usually as macaronic intercalation, and never lexicalized; its precedent terms, briefly considered in Basque, "Euzkadia" and "Euskaria" have never entered wider circulation. From the outset the term was (intentionally) politically charged, as it served nationalist Basque purposes; it was opposed or ignored by those who preferred to confront Basque political ambitions. “Euzkadi” was the official Basque name of the autonomous territory created in 1936; "Euskadi" (note different spelling) is currently one of two official Basque names of the autonomous community consisting of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa. Originally the term was applied to all territories perceived as forming part of the Basque realm and is still used this way by some nationalist groupings. Naturalized in present-day Spanish as an official equivalent of "País Vasco", the Basque Autonomous Community.

also Pais Eúskaro. In Spanish literally Euskera-speaking country. The term was in circulation in the late 19th and the early 20th century, though used very sporadically and almost exclusively against a cultural and literary background. The term strongly focused not only on Basque language, but also on the entire cultural and ethnic realm built around it. It was used principally by partisans of the Basque identity, usually understood in cultural and linguistic terms (though also in national terms). Geographical application was ambiguous; prevailing usage ignored existing administrative divisions and pointed to area inhabited by people belonging to the Basque cultural realm. In many respects the term was identical to “Euskalerria”, though “país eúskaro” (except having been a neologism) emphasized language and cultural dimension, while “Euskalerria” maintained balance between linguistic-ethnic threads and historical-religious threads. Today entirely out of use.

also País Vasco, país basco. In Spanish literally Basque country. The term was in circulation in writing as early as in the 15th century, though until the 20th century used rather sporadically. Similar in meaning and geographical application to “provincias vascas”, i.e. could have been applied to 3, 4 or 7 units in Spain and France; the difference was that it underlined unity of the area and did not put its internal administrative heterogeneity on the forefront. The difference between “país vasco” and “país vascongado” was that the former put slightly more emphasis on the Basque character, while the latter tended to be more lexicalized. In the 1920s the term overtook “Provincias Vascongadas” in terms of popular press usage. In 1936 adopted (with both words capitalized as “País Vasco”) as official Spanish name of the autonomous Basque area within the Second Spanish Republic, today it remains official name of the autonomous community consisting of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa provinces. In present-day nationalist discourse it could be applied (capitalized or not) to any area deemed part of the proper Basque country.

also país vasconavarro, País Vasconavarro, país basko-navarro. In Spanish literally Basque-Navarrese country. Never appearing as “país navarro-vasco”. The term was in public circulation since the early 19th century but unlike other descriptions using the “vasco-navarro” adjective (“pueblo vasco-navarro”, “ejercito vasco-navarro” etc. ) it was used rather sporadically. Applied to Biscay, Gipuzkoa, Álava and Navarre when intending to underline any sort of commonality (historical, economic, geographical etc., though rather not ethnic) linking the four. Upon growth of the Basque nationalism it got used against the background of differences between Navarre on the one hand and Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa on the other, though with various intentions (to stress or to downplay them). Its confusing political usage led to de-emphasizing of political contents. Today generally out of use, except for historical or specific cultural discourse.