When Was Libya Named?

The name Libya is of an ancient origin.  The name is derived from the Egyptian language, wherein 'Lebu' was the word or term used to refer to the Berbers, who inhabited the region west of the Nile. The Berbers were an ancient civilization or culture that displaced the original settlers of the region. The term 'Lebu' came to be confused with 'Libya' as the ancient Greeks called it. The term had a much greater significance in ancient Greece. It meant and referred to the entire expanse of the African continent or to the entire region of North Africa, which lay to the west of Egypt.
Today Libya occupies an area of around 1.8 million square kilometers, most of which is desert. In terms of area it is Africa's fourth largest nation.