, ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 5 th ▁to ▁early ▁ 1 6 th ▁century . ▁Their ▁name ▁was ▁adopted ▁as ▁the ▁Latin ▁equivalent ▁of ▁the ▁design ation ▁Sw itzer , ▁and ▁the ▁Swiss ▁Confeder acy ▁was ▁given ▁the ▁Latin ▁name ▁of ▁Republic a ▁Hel vet ior um . ▁The ▁name ▁of ▁the ▁national ▁person ification ▁of ▁Switzerland , ▁Hel vet ia , ▁and ▁the ▁country ' s ▁contemporary ▁Ne o - Lat in ▁name , ▁Con fo eder atio ▁Hel vet ica ▁( ab bre vi ated ▁CH ), ▁are ▁derived ▁from ▁this ▁tradition . ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 1 5 , ▁the ▁star ▁ 5 1 ▁Peg asi , ▁the ▁first ▁main - sequence ▁star ▁found ▁to ▁have ▁an ▁ex op lan et , ▁was ▁named ▁Hel vet ios ▁after ▁the ▁Hel vet ii . ▁▁ ▁C elt ic ▁opp ida ▁in ▁Switzerland ▁▁ ▁The ▁distribution ▁of ▁La ▁T ène ▁culture ▁bur ial s ▁in ▁Switzerland ▁indicates ▁that ▁the ▁Swiss ▁plate au ▁between ▁La us anne ▁and ▁Winter thur ▁was ▁relatively ▁dens ely ▁populated . ▁S ett lement ▁cent res ▁existed ▁in ▁the ▁A are ▁valley ▁between ▁Th un ▁and ▁Bern , ▁and ▁between ▁Lake ▁Zur ich ▁and ▁the ▁river ▁Re uss . ▁The ▁Val ais ▁and ▁the ▁regions ▁around ▁Bell in z ona ▁and ▁L ug ano ▁also ▁seem ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁well - pop ulated ; ▁however , ▁those ▁lay ▁outside ▁the ▁Hel vet ian ▁borders . ▁ ▁Al most ▁all ▁the ▁Hel vet ic ▁opp ida ▁were