Old folks know that Jack Benny’s social security number was 1. Well, mine is 2, so when I tell you that the word “Yankee” is derived from the Chinese, “Yang Kwei”, = “Foreign Devil”, you can probably trust me. I don’t write often, but while I’m here, I beg to object to Cecil’s spaghetti sauce boast. I’m sorry to deflate the “Great One” but spaghetti sauce better than mine just does not exist. I can’t reveal my recipe because, as the CIA agent said when asked how many agents it takes to screw in a lightbulb, “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” Keep up the good work!
For very low values of “probably”.
As Cecil points out in What is the origin of the word “Yankee”? the word was in use to refer to Americans no later than 1759, by an Englishman who never traveled east of Bavaria.
I’m surprised the article doesn’t mention the theory that it comes from the Dutch name Janke.
The dictionary gives this as the most likely origin.