Misspelled names of ethnical Azerbaijanis came into the official use in Russian Empire soon after it annexed the territories of Northern Azerbaijan. Russians called Azerbaijanis as Transcaucasian or Azerbaijani Tatars, or as Muslims according to their confession.
Below sources bear record to the fact that the name “Transcaucasian Tatars” was used as a synonym of “Azerbaijanis”. Thus, according to the Yearbook “Caucasus Calendar for 1904” (Tiflis, 1903): “…Tatars succeeded in gain foothold in the southeast of Transcaucasian region. Largest population of mentioned Tatars lives the following three eastern Transcaucasian Governorates, namely Yelizavetpol (about 550 thsd people), Baku (about 609 thsd people) and Erivan (about 373 thsd people). Significant Tatar population is also recorded in Tiflis Governorate (110 thsd people)”.
Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (volumes for 1898-1901) name Azerbaijanis as “Azerbaijani Tatars”, “Azerbaijanis”, “Turks of a Persian type”, “Persian and Caucasian Azerbaijanis”. Russian Encyclopaedia of 1911 mentions “Azerbaijani Tatars”, “Azerbaijanis” and “Transcaucasian Tatars”.
The book “Caucasus and Transcaucasia” (V.P. Jelikhovskaya, 1885) describes Tatars of Baku, Yelizavetpol, Erivan and partly Tiflis governorates as “brave people who never betray those who search for their trust, and who are ready to develop and change if they are treated with just and due respect to their feelings, faith and laws. Those who had lived a while among Transcaucasian Tatars know these people as good, kind, noble and mindful people”.
In his book “Caucasus. 1886-1895” (1904), V.L. Velichko says that “Azerbaijanis are often called Tatars, which is absolutely wrong. By their origin, Azerbaijanis are Turks and Turanians – successors of ancient Oghuzians and Seljuqs, and blood relatives of present day Turks and Kurds… It is undoubted that Azerbaijanis are of a noble blood. They are kind, brave and generous by their nature, and are capable of mental and moral development”.
Famous French geographer and traveler Jacques Élisée Reclus writes in the 6th volume of his book “The Earth and its Inhabitants” (1898): “In a certain sense, Transcaucasian Tatars are civilizers of all Caucasus region, and the language they speak is widely used by different Caucasian people as a language of international communication… Distinguishing feature of Transcaucasian Turks is their ultimate religious tolerance. Transcaucasian Tatars possess several moral qualities which are not typical for the other Caucasian peoples. It’s only among Tatars that you can witness honesty which is free of temptation, and hospitality which is both hearty and distingue. Most of those people are very efficient as stock-breeders, farmers, gardeners and craftsmen. Many of them are fluent in writing in Turkish – “the language of padishahs”. Often Tatars speak Arabic and Persian languages in addition to their native tongues”.
Native name of the nation – “Turks” (Azerbaijani Turks), and the name of its’ language – Turkish (Azerbaijani Turkish) had been returned into the official use after Northern Azerbaijan had regained its’ independence.