Which country is the only sovereign state named after a historical woman?

Which country is the only sovereign state named after a historical woman? Saint Lucia is the only sovereign state named after a historical woman.

The country takes its name from Saint Lucy of Syracuse, a Christian martyr who lived in the late third and early fourth centuries. Saint Lucy’s feast day is 13 December. A traditional story says French sailors named the island after her after being shipwrecked there on her feast day, although historical evidence also points to earlier Spanish use of the name.

Saint Lucia’s name has older layers as well. Arawak inhabitants called the island Louanalao, commonly interpreted as “Island of the Iguanas,” while the later Kalinago name was Hewanorra. A 1520 globe in the Vatican reportedly labels the island Sancta Lucia, supporting an early Spanish connection.

The wording “historical woman” matters: Saint Lucy was a real, documented religious figure, rather than a mythological character or a symbolic female personification. Saint Lucia is also a Commonwealth realm and became independent from the United Kingdom on 22 February 1979.