America is the continent - singular? It’s not two continents, North America and South America? How popular and how longstanding is this notion?
It depends on where they live. According to Wikipedia “The 7-continent model is usually taught in Western Europe, China, and most native English-speaking countries. The 6-continent combined-Eurasia model is preferred by the geographic community, Russia, Eastern Europe, and Japan. The 6-continent combined-America model is taught in Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Iran and some other parts of Europe. The 5-continent model is taught in the Iberian Peninsula, some other parts of Europe, and many Latin American countries. Oceania or Australasia are sometimes used in place of Australia. For example, the Atlas of Canada lists seven continents and names Oceania.”
Yes, but the term “American” is an English term, just because there is a Spanish word that sounds similar but has a different meaning does not mean it should influence how English speakers use the word.
In common English as it is spoken in the major English speaking countries of the world (the United State and the United Kingdom) “America” is not generally considered to be the name of any continent, but rather a short hand name for the country “The United States of America.”
It’s certainly true that in other countries, in other languages (or even in other places where English is spoken as a first language aside from the United States and the United Kingdom) there is a single term for both continents and a common pronoun that refers generally to any resident of either of the two land masses. That just isn’t the case in standard American or British English, nor is it really the standard in Canadian English, either.
It’s not any sort of arrogance that has Americans calling themselves Americans, it’s because in the manner in which we speak English, 1) “American” as a pronoun for someone from North/South America doesn’t make sense, to us if you wanted to refer generally to the continents you’d refer to them as North or South America, or even “the Americas.” But you wouldn’t refer to someone from the continents with the general term “American” and 2) it is the only single word pronoun that has ever been used in the history of our country, by us or other major English speaking countries to refer to citizens of the United States.
During my time in Guatemala, I was told at least some Latin Americans feel that the citizens of the USA should not have exclusive ownership of the title “Americano” but most often call them “Norteamericanos” (North Americans) in a formal context. More often I heard Americans being referred to as “Gringos”. I’m not sure where “Norteamericano” leaves Canadians and Mexican though.
In my experience, people from south of the Rio Grande will make some sort of joke when in an international meeting someone says “Americans” to refer to “people from the USA”, but well… like the previous poster said,
“people from the United States” doesn’t work. Brazil and Mexico are United States too.
“Norteamericanos” doesn’t work. Mexicans and Canadians are northamerican too.
And them gringos find gringo offensive so… what the hell, guess we’ll go on using “Americans” for them! But reserving the right to a footnote!
About as old and popular as the Olympic flag or older, I would presume.
Then again, there is also the notion of Central America being also distinct and then some would ask for the Caribbean also begin addressed separately. Heck even the “south cone” (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay) is ofter referred to as a separate entity.
Yeah, sometimes I wonder which continent Jamaica, Cuba, and the leeward Islands are in (assuming N + S America are two continents).
I think we in North America can claim Bermuda, though, since it’s east of North Carolina. It totally reminded me of Canada with palm trees when I was there anyway. 
Especially since we don’t have another demonym to use. Everone else in the hemisphere has one specific to their country, but we only have “American”.
I remember reading somewhere once that shortly after independence there was a debate in the US Congress over whether the country should be renamed, since “the United States of America” didn’t have a suitable adjectival form, and “American” was unsuitable for the reasons given above. Does anyone know if this story is true? Was there really ever an attempt to rename the USA?
USers sounds about right.
Frank Lloyd Wright preferred “Usonian”. I kinda like it.
FWIW, I get asked if I’m Canadian all the time, by people who later admit that they initally thought I was American, but had asked the wrong Canadian once if he/she was American and got an earful.
In Australia, we all sound alike (I can usually, but not always, pick a Canadian accent, mostly by virtue of having lived in Michigan, gotten Canadian TV and being a hockey fan.)
I don’t mind American, and when asked where I’m from (my accent’s gotten a little muddled) its what I reply.
Cheers,
G