<P> For most of its history , up until independence , the country was known as Santo Domingo -- the name of its present capital and patron saint , Saint Dominic -- and continued to be commonly known as such in English until the early 20th century . The residents were called Dominicanos ( Dominicans ) , which is the adjective form of `` Domingo '' , and the revolutionaries named their newly independent country La República Dominicana . </P>
how did the dominican republic get its name
patron saint , Saint Dominic