Who gave the name Philippines?

During the ancient Greeks' time, Claudius Ptolemy included the set of islands in a map he made. He called the islands "Maniolas."

Traders from China favored the name "Ma-yi", which means "Land of Gold" as a name for the archipelago.

In 1512, the islands were given the name "Archipelago of St. Lazarus" by Ferdinand Magellan because his group arrived on the islands during the Feast of St. Lazarus.

A few years after Magellan, Ruy Lopez de Villalobosrenamed the country "Felipinas" in honor of Prince Felipe (later crowned as King Philip II). The name evolved into "Filipinas" during the Spanish time. After that, the Americans called it "The Philippine Islands." Finally, it was called the "Republic of the Philippines" in 1946.