# The Terms Yank and Yankee **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [September 6, 2004, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389 "2004-09-06T21:37:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/1 "2004-09-06T21:37:30Z")
In American, why do people in the South sometimes refer to people in the North as Yankees, yet, Europeans refer to all Americans as Yanks (short for Yankee obviously)? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/2 "2004-09-06T21:46:42Z")
The “original” Yankee was a New Englander, in particular a rural one. But nowadays what “Yankee” means depends on where exactly you are. In New England it means a back-country, laconic farmer or fisherman-type. In the northern U.S., it means a New Englander in general. In the southern U.S., it means someone from the northern U.S. And outside the U.S., it means any American in general. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/3 "2004-09-06T22:23:04Z")
Being a native New Englander myself, my favorite as alwasy been the [Swamp Yankee](http://www.curbstone.org/index.cfm?webpage=80), as we call certain types in Souther New England. Kind of a New England Good Ol’ Boy/Redneck. And, beleive it or not, there are a lot of swamps in rural New England. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/4 "2004-09-06T23:59:11Z")
I don’t have a cite, but the word “Yankee” was originally something of a racial slur. It is a bastardization of the Dutch name “Janke”, which is the equivalent of the English “John”. The city of New York was originally named New Amsterdam, and of course, Amsterdam is in Holland, from whence come the Dutch people. So those non-Dutch people living outside of New Amsterdam/New York would use the name “Janke” to refer to the Dutch living in that area. It’s very much the same thing as the Cold War practice of referring the name “Ivan” to refer to Soviets (Russian “Ivan” = English “John”) or calling a Frenchman “Jacques”, regardless of whether his name is really Jacques or not. In what has always been a fairly common occurance, the Dutch of New Amsterdam/New York took the insult and turned it into a badge of honor, cheerfully calling themselves “Yankees”. This is similar to Southerners proudly identifying themselves as “rednecks”, another label that started out as a insult. The term “Yankee” eventually came to refer to anybody living in or around New York, and of course, for a long time New York **was** the USA as far as Europeans were concerned. So they picked up on the word and began to use it as a general term that meant “American”. And not that it has anything to do with the OP, but did you know that then New York Yankees baseball team was originally called the New York Highlanders? ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/5 "2004-09-07T00:28:08Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The “original” Yankee was a New Englander, in particular a rural one. > > But nowadays what “Yankee” means depends on where exactly you are. > > In New England it means a back-country, laconic farmer or fisherman-type. > In the northern U.S., it means a New Englander in general. > In the southern U.S., it means someone from the northern U.S. > And outside the U.S., it means any American in general. Interesting, I never knew about the New Englander meanings. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/6 "2004-09-07T00:30:19Z")
> [@Phase42](#): > > And not that it has anything to do with the OP, but did you know that then New York Yankees baseball team was originally called the New York Highlanders? Nope. But then again, I’m not really into sports. ---
**Author:** ![Josh\_dePlume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Josh\_dePlume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Josh_dePlume)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/7 "2004-09-07T00:50:07Z")
> [@Phase42](#): > > So those non-Dutch people living outside of New Amsterdam/New York would use the name “Janke” to refer to the Dutch living in that area. It’s very much the same thing as the Cold War practice of referring the name “Ivan” to refer to Soviets (Russian “Ivan” = English “John”) or calling a Frenchman “Jacques”, regardless of whether his name is really Jacques or not. I thought it was the other way around: the term was used by the Dutch to refer to the English. This aricle seems to confirm this: > **[Yankee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee)** > > The term Yankee and its contracted form Yank have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United States or Midwestern United States or Western United States, or Americans in general. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is "a nickname for a native or inhabitant of New England, or, more widely, of the northern States generally". > Outside the United S... ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/8 "2004-09-07T00:54:59Z")
> [@Phase42](#): > > And not that it has anything to do with the OP, but did you know that then New York Yankees baseball team was originally called the New York Highlanders? Actually, their original name was the Baltimore Orioles, before they moved to New York in 1903. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/9 "2004-09-07T00:59:33Z")
> [@Josh\_dePlume](#): > > I thought it was the other way around: the term was used by the Dutch to refer to the English. This aricle seems to confirm this: > > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee) > [@](#): > > The etymology is uncertain; one suggestion is that it derives from Dutch Janke, diminutive of Jan (John), or Jan Kees, for “John Cheese”, a nickname for English settlers bestowed by the Dutch in the early days of New York City. Note the first sentence: The etymology is uncertain. And that’s still the status. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/10 "2004-09-07T01:04:47Z")
> [@Master Control](#): > > In American, why do people in the South sometimes refer to people in the North as Yankees, yet, Europeans refer to all Americans as Yanks (short for Yankee obviously)? YANKEE, n. In Europe, and American. In the Northern States of the Union, a New Englander. In the Southern States the word is unknown. (See DAMYANK.) _The Devil’s Dictionary_, Ambrose Bierce. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/11 "2004-09-07T01:10:53Z")
In searching for material to post here, I looked in the OED. Amazing! I never realized the term “Yank” as a shortening of “Yankee” went back that far. > [@](#): > > 1. Colloq. abbreviation of YANKEE. > > 1778 Conquerors 14 Give me five hundred brave and chosen men, I’ll drive the Yanks from north to south again ---
**Author:** ![Josh\_dePlume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Josh\_dePlume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Josh_dePlume)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/12 "2004-09-07T01:15:01Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Note the first sentence: The etymology is uncertain. Fair enough, but my point is that whenever I’ve seen a proposed etymology involving Dutch settlers, etc., the Dutch have been the ones using the term that became “yankee” (to refer to the English), not the ones being referred to by it. I’ve never encountered the second alternative, which is not to say it has never been proposed. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/13 "2004-09-07T01:21:30Z")
**Josh**. YOu’re absolutely correct. Sorry if I didn’t address your point. [http://www.wordorigins.org/wordory.htm#yankee](http://www.wordorigins.org/wordory.htm#yankee) Dave Wilton’s explanation at his wordsite above helps. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/14 "2004-09-07T01:33:06Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > Being a native New Englander myself, my favorite as alwasy been the [Swamp Yankee](http://www.curbstone.org/index.cfm?webpage=80), as we call certain types in Souther New England. Kind of a New England Good Ol’ Boy/Redneck. And, beleive it or not, there are a lot of swamps in rural New England. I think the link is right about the term being little known outside of Conn. I’ve never heard it before, even when I lived in MA. OTOH, I can probably count on my fingers the number of times I’ve heard new englanders refer to someone as a “yankee.” It’s not a well received term, and nearly always reserved for someone you’d also call an “old coot.” Definitely not meant to flatter. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/15 "2004-09-07T02:29:38Z")
> [@David Simmons](#): > > YANKEE, n. In Europe, and American. In the Northern States of the Union, a New Englander. In the Southern States the word is unknown. (See DAMYANK.) > > _The Devil’s Dictionary_, Ambrose Bierce. That **Devil’s Dictionary** is very interesting. However, if you look under the _D’s_ there is no listing for Damyank. A dam yank would probably be someone that was working in conjunction with swamp yankees to drain the swamps. The term in the South of course is **Damn Yankee**. It is never Damn Yank, but always **Damn Yankee**. I know since I’ve been called that for the last 50 some years. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/16 "2004-09-07T02:34:20Z")
Outside of the US, a Yankee is anyone from the USA In the US, a Yankee is anyone from back east. In the east, a Yankee is from north of the Mason-Dixon line. North of the Mason-Dixon line, a Yankee is from New England. In New England, a Yankee is from Maine. In Maine, a Yankee is from Down East. In Down East Maine, a Yankee eats pie for breakfast. With a spoon. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/17 "2004-09-07T03:09:53Z")
[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_260.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_260.html) Since this thread is actually something that Cecil discussed, I just moved it to the appropriate fora. See above for Cecil’s original column. I’ll also tell you to search for threads about this topic. I’m sure there have been a few. ---
**Author:** ![Josh\_dePlume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Josh\_dePlume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Josh_dePlume)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/18 "2004-09-07T03:10:57Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > In the US, a Yankee is anyone from back east. Is this true? I can’t imagine someone from California referring to someone from Georgia as a Yankee. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/19 "2004-09-07T03:24:13Z")
IMHO, a person who was labled from “back East” today in the US, would be assumed from above the Mason-Dixon Line. A Northerner. ---
**Author:** ![Josh\_dePlume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Josh\_dePlume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Josh_dePlume)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389/20 "2004-09-07T03:31:12Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > IMHO, a person who was labled from “back East” today in the US, would be assumed from above the Mason-Dixon Line. A Northerner. That interpretation doesn’t fit in with the progressive narrowing in Telemark’s list. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-terms-yank-and-yankee/263389.md?page=2)