The District of Columbia was named after Columbus ... "but the interesting part of the story is that in 1792 there was a serious movement in the United States to rename the whole country and call it Columbia. As a compromise, the nation's capital was given the name District of Columbia"
http://www.brooks.af.mil/HSW/PA/discovery/2004%20Discovery%20Issues/Oct8web.pdf
O, Columbia! the gem of the ocean,
The home of the brave and the free,
The shrine of each patriot's devotion,
A world offers homage to thee.
Thy mandates make heroes assemble
When Liberty's form stands in view;
Thy banners make tyranny tremble
When borne by the Red, White and Blue!