diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/packaging/language/pip.py b/lib/ansible/modules/packaging/language/pip.py
index 9b39cd3fd33..c58ce92f016 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/packaging/language/pip.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/packaging/language/pip.py
@@ -513,8 +513,8 @@ class Package:
             name_string = separator.join((name_string, version_string))
         try:
             self._requirement = Requirement.parse(name_string)
-            # old pkg_resource will replace 'setuptools' with 'distribute' when it already installed
-            if self._requirement.project_name == "distribute":
+            # old pkg_resource will replace 'setuptools' with 'distribute' when it's already installed
+            if self._requirement.project_name == "distribute" and "setuptools" in name_string:
                 self.package_name = "setuptools"
                 self._requirement.project_name = "setuptools"
             else:
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/pip/tasks/pip.yml b/test/integration/targets/pip/tasks/pip.yml
index b7036de99de..7c924d5a0ed 100644
--- a/test/integration/targets/pip/tasks/pip.yml
+++ b/test/integration/targets/pip/tasks/pip.yml
@@ -499,3 +499,15 @@
   pip:
     name: "{{ pip_test_packages }}"
     state: absent
+
+# https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/47198
+- name: try to remove distribute
+  pip:
+    state: "absent"
+    name: "distribute"
+  ignore_errors: yes
+  register: remove_distribute
+
+- name: inspect the cmd
+  assert:
+    that: "'distribute' in remove_distribute.cmd"