Columbia" (/kəˈlʌmbiə/; kə-LUM-bee-ə) is a historical name used by both Europeans and Americans to describe the Americas, the New World, and often, more specifically, the United States of America.
It seems few Americans are aware of Columbia (feminized version of Columbus) who is the goddess of liberty and the personification of America. As a quasi-mythical figure, Columbia first appears in the poetry of Phillis Wheatley starting in 1776 during the revolutionary war.
The Columbia Lady introducing IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934). In Bette Davis' 1962 autobiography The Lonely Life, she makes a passing reference to "Little Claudia Dell", an actress from the 1930s and early '40s, "whose image," Bette remarks, "was used as Columbia Pictures' signature for years." But there are others.
http://www.myfilmviews.com/2012/01/19/the-story-behind-the-columbia-pictures-logo/
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington or D.C., is the capital of the United States of America. ... The signing of the Residence Act on July 16, 1790, approved the creation of a capital district located along the Potomac River on the country's East Coast.
Washington DC is not one of the 50 states. But it's an important part of the U.S. The District of Columbia is our nation's capital. Congress established the federal
district from land belonging to the states of Maryland and Virginia in 1790.
http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/Columbia/columbia-article-logo.htm