This is a list of countries and dependent territories named after people.
Sovereign countries named after people Country Source of name Azerbaijan Atropates (initially Atropatene in Ancient Greek, the name evolved to Azerbaijan in Persian) Bolivia Simón Bolívar Colombia Christopher Columbus Dominican Republic Saint Dominic El Salvador Jesus ("El Salvador" is the Spanish translation of "The Savior") Eswatini (Swaziland) King Mswati II Kiribati Thomas Gilbert ("Kiribati" is the Gilbertese rendition of "Gilberts") Marshall Islands John Marshall Mauritius Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange Mozambique Mussa Bin Bique Peru Birú, a local ruler who lived near the Bay of San Miguel, Panama City, in the early 16th century.Porras Barrenechea, Raúl. El nombre del Perú. Lima: Talleres Gráficos P.L. Villanueva, 1968, p. 83. Philippines King Philip II of Spain Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Christopher Saint Lucia Saint Lucy Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent of Saragossa San Marino Saint Marinus São Tomé and Príncipe Saint Thomas, and the Prince of Portugal to whom duties on the island's sugar crop were paid Saudi Arabia Saud bin Muhammad Al Muqrin Seychelles Jean Moreau de Séchelles United States of America Amerigo Vespucci (see Naming of America) Uzbekistan Öz Beg Khan (through Uzbeks, see Uzbeks#Etymology) Venezuela (The Bolivarian Republic of) Simón Bolívar (for the "Bolivarian Republic" part), the name Venezuela is derived from Venice (a city in northeastern Italy). See: Venezuela#Etymology
Countries named after legendary figures Country Source of name Afghanistan Supposedly named after tribal chief Prince Afghana.India and the Afghans: a study of a neglected region, 1370-1576 A.D., Amrendra Kumar Thakur, Janaki Prakashan, 1992 - 231 pages, Covers the history of Bihar during the Afghan rule in India. Page 2 & 9. Armenia (Hayastan) Hayk Belarus Rus Cambodia Sage Kambu Swayambhuva Czech Republic Čech Denmark Dan I of Denmark Djibouti "Djibouti" means "Land of Tehuti" or "Land of Thoth", after the Egyptian Moon GodEnglandAngul through Angles Greece (the Hellenic Republic)Hellen Hungary Hunor (or Magyarország — Magor) Bhārat (India) Dushyanta's son Bharata or Rishabha's son Bharata Misr (Egypt) Misr in Arabic, Misrayim in Hebrew, named after the biblical figure Mizraim. Israel Jacob, who was also called Israel in the Bible Éire (Ireland) Éire (Ériu), a Celtic fertility goddess Italy Italus Laos possibly after Lava Lechia (historical and/or alternative name of Poland)Lech Norway Nór (although other etymologies are generally more widely accepted) Romania The name "Romania" is derived from "Rome" (the modern capital city of Italy) / "Roman", which possibly comes from Romulus Russia Rus Solomon Islands King Solomon of Israel and Judah Somalia Supposedly named after Samaale.
Former countries named after people Country Source of name Abbasid Caliphate Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib Achaemenid Empire Achaemenes Aghlabid Emirate al-Aghlab ibn Salim, father of Ibrahim I ibn al-Aghlab Principality of Antioch, now part of Turkey Antiochus, father of Seleucus I Nicator Arsacid Empire Arsaces I Artuqid State Artuk Bey Ayyubid Sultanate Najm al-Din Ayyub Buyid Emirate Buya ibn Panah-Khusrow, father of Imad al-Dawla, founder of the emirate, and his brothers Rukn al-Dawla and Mu'izz al-Dawla Kingdom of Dahomey and Republic of Dahomey, now part of Benin Chief Dan, who was killed by Chief Dakodonu in a dispute after sarcastically saying "shall I open up my belly and build a palace inside it?"; Dan=chief, xo=Belly, me=Inside of Fatimid Empire Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad Gupta Empire Gupta Hamdanid state Hamdan ibn Hamdun Hammadid Sultanate Hammad ibn Buluggin Idrisid Emirate of AsirIdris I Idrisid state Jabrids Emirate Jabr ibn Mady Jarwanid Emirate Jarwan ibn Nasser Lotharingia (Lorraine), now part of Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands Lothair II Rhodesia (former name of Zimbabwe) Cecil Rhodes Samo's Empire Samo, a Slavic kingSeljuk EmpireSeljuk, legendary founding warlord of the Seljuk EmpireSultanate of Rum (Saljuqiyan-i Rum) Ottoman Empire Osman I, founder of the empire Umayyad Caliphate Umayya ibn Abd Shams Sasanian Empire Sasan Timurid Empire Timur Mirdasid state Mirdas ibn Idris, father of Salih ibn Mirdas Usfurid Emirate Usfur ibn Rashid Samanid Empire Saman Khuda Zirid state Ziri ibn Manad Marinid Sultanate Marin ibn wartajin Nasrid Kingdom of Granada Nasr ibn al-Aḥmar Safavid Empire Safi-ad-din Ardabili Seleucid Empire Seleucus I Nicator Ptolemaic Kingdom Ptolemy I Soter Qedarite Kingdom Qedar, son of Ishmael Mazyadid Emirate Mazyad ibn Marthad Rashidi Emirate Rashid ibn Hamad Numayrid Emirate Numayr ibn Āmir ibn Ṣaʿṣaʿa Uqaylid Emirate Uqayl ibn Ka'b ibn Rabi'a ibn Āmir ibn Ṣaʿṣaʿa Shah Mir Sultanate Shah Mir Tulunid Emirate Tulun, father of Ahmad ibn Tulun Sur Empire Sher Shah Suri
Dependent territories named after people Territory Source of name Baker Island Michael Baker Bermuda Juan de Bermúdez Bouvet Island Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier Clipperton Island John Clipperton Cocos (Keeling) Islands Captain William Keeling Cook Islands Captain James Cook Falkland Islands Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount Falkland Gibraltar Tariq ibn Ziyad (from Jabal Ṭāriq, meaning 'Mountain of Tariq') Jan Mayen Jan Jacobszoon May van Schellinkhout Jarvis Island Edward, Thomas and William Jarvis Johnston Atoll Captain Charles J. Johnston Kingman Reef Captain W.E. Kingman Isle of Man Manannán mac Lir Montserrat Our Lady of Montserrat (Virgin Mary) Norfolk Island Wife of Edward Howard, 9th Duke of Norfolk Northern Mariana Islands Mariana of Austria Peter I Island Peter the Great Pitcairn Islands Robert Pitcairn (midshipman) Queen Maud Land Maud of Wales Ross Dependency James Clark Ross Saint Barthélemy Saint Bartholomew Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Helena of Constantinople and Tristão da Cunha Saint Martin Martin of Tours Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Peter and Saint Michael Sint Maarten Martin of Tours South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands George II of Great Britain and John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich Tasmania Abel Tasman Virgin Islands Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgins Wake Island William Wake Wallis and Futuna Samuel Wallis
See also List of country name etymologies List of country subdivisions named after people
References