This is a list of countries and dependent territories named after people.
Sovereign countries named after people
{| class="wikitable"
! 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
|-
| Georgia (country) || Saint George
|-
| 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.
|-
| 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
{| class="wikitable"
! Country !! Source of name
|-
| Afghanistan || Supposedly named after tribal chief Prince Afghana.
|-
| Armenia (Hayastan) || Hayk
|-
| Belarus || Rus
|-
| Cambodia || Sage Kambu Swayambhuva
|-
|-Turkey / Turkmenistan || Turks
|-
| Czech Republic || Čech
|-
| Denmark || Dan I of Denmark
|-
| Djibouti || "Djibouti" means "Land of Tehuti" or "Land of Thoth", after the Egyptian Moon God
|-
| 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 <small>(historical and/or alternative name of Poland)</small>||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
{| class="wikitable"
! 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 Asir
| rowspan="2" |Idris 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 <small>(former name of Zimbabwe)</small>|| Cecil Rhodes
|-
| Samo's Empire || Samo, a Slavic king
|-
|Seljuk Empire
| rowspan="2" |Seljuk, legendary founding warlord of the Seljuk Empire
|-
|Sultanate 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
{| class="wikitable"
! 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