The Philippines was named by a Spanish explorer.
Philippines . In 1543 , Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of Philip II of Spain . Ruy López de Villalobos ( [ rui̯ ˈlopeθ ðe βiʝaˈloβos ] ; ca. 1500 -- April 4 , 1544 ) was a Spanish explorer who sailed the Pacific from Mexico to establish a permanent foothold for Spain in the East Indies , which was near the Line of Demarcation between Spain and Portugal according to the Treaty of Zaragoza in 1529 .