Why are GSD's sometimes called alsatians

German Shepherd Dog is the original name for the breed. In the First World War, however, anything 'German' was despised, so the name was changed to Alsatian to still be reasonably accurate as to the breed's area of origin, but as Alsace is in France, it wasn't considered unpatriotic. The name was changed back to German Shepherd Dog (Alsatian) in (I believe) the 1980s.