The Top 10: Leaders with the name of their country in their name

Starting with Kenyatta, de Gaulle and Al Saud...

This list was suggested by Nicholas Mayes, who kicked off with Kenyatta, de Gaulle and Al Saud. I changed the rules to disallow leaders who named themselves after their country (Ataturk, Türkmenbaşy) and leaders whose countries were named after them (Bolivar, Rhodes), but Kenyatta and the Sauds were already in.

1. Jomo Kenyatta, first president of Kenya, and his son Uhuru Kenyatta, the current president. Jomo took his surname, meaning “Light of Kenya”, when in London in the 1930s.

2. Charles de Gaulle. That was his actual name. I didn’t know that.

3. Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, king of Saudi Arabia, or any of his predecessors back to Muhammad bin Saud, who ruled 1726–1765.

4. ‏Pierre Mendès France, prime minister of France, June 1954 to February 1955. Nominated by Oliver Kamm and Allan Holloway.

5. Solomon Mamaloni, prime minister of the Solomon Islands three times between 1981 and 1997. Thanks to Mr Memory.

6. Alexander Dubček. First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, 1968-69. Although he was actually a Slovak. Blame Carl Gardner and David McClure.

7. Ulysses S (US) Grant, President of the United States, 1869-77. He acquired the middle initial by mistake when a congressman wrote in support of his application to West Point military academy. This time blame Ian Reeve and John Bell. ‏

8. Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India, 1980-84. George Cazenove and Ian Reeve (again) hang their heads.

9. ‏Giorgi Margvelashvili, president of Georgia. Another from Mr Memory.

10. Salvador Sanchez Ceren, president of El Salvador. Saved by William Paterson.

Eamon de Valera, president of Eire, the Republic of Ireland – Deval-Eire? – was proposed by David Mills and Vic Johnstone, but not accepted. Arbitrary, I know. Petre Roman, prime minister of Romania, 1989-90, nominated by Chris Terry, was also rejected.

As were Öz Beg Khan, khan of the Golden Horde, who probably did not give his name to Uzbekistan, Xlibris1; Jean Moreau de Séchelles (also from Xlibris1); Philip II of Spain, who gave his name to the Philippines (Chris Jones); and Ashraf Ghani, president of Afghanistan since 2014. Stuart said Ghani “should be on that list”. No, he shouldn’t.

Next week: People with invented middle initials, such as Ulysses S Grant (above) and JK Rowling

Coming soon: Shakespeare rewrites, starting with The Lion King

Your suggestions, and ideas for future Top 10s, in the comments please, or to me on Twitter, or by email to top10@independent.co.uk. Listellany: A Miscellany of Very British Top Tens, From Politics to Pop, is available as an e-book for £3.79