I got a laugh out of a cute girl once by mispronouncing Amerigo’s last name. :-)
An alternative theory has it that the name America was derived from Welsh merchant, customs official, and sheriff of Bristol Richard ap Meryk, which is anglicised as Richard Amerike (or Ameryk). Supposedly, this Richard Amerike was the primary funder of the exploration launched from Bristol by Venetian John Cabot in 1497 and was the owner of Cabot’s ship, the Matthew. The land that Cabot discovered was thus named America in tribute to Amerike’s sponsorship of Cabot’s expedition. Although this claim is plausible, the traditional and consensus view is that the name of mapmaker Amerigo Vespucci provided the name America.