The Philippines were named after a King of Spain.
In 1543 , Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of Philip II of Spain.
Philip II of Spain -LRB- Felipe II 21 May 1527 -- 13 September 1598 -RRB- , called `` the Prudent '' -LRB- el Prudente -RRB- , was King of Spain -LRB- 1556 -- 98 -RRB- , King of Portugal -LRB- 1581 -- 98 , as Philip I , Filipe I -RRB- , King of Naples and Sicily -LRB- both from 1554 -RRB- , and jure uxoris King of England and Ireland -LRB- during his marriage to Queen Mary I from 1554 -- 58 -RRB-.
