# What are people from USA called, not americans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 7, 2022, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165 "2022-12-07T20:49:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Loggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Loggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loggins)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/1 "2022-12-07T20:49:04Z")
We call people from USA americans, and people from Canada Canadians. But arent they all americans (North Americans) and people south of USA called South Americans (and Pan-Americans?) So what is the right descriptive name for people from USA? PS - yes i searched for this topic on SDMB ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/2 "2022-12-07T20:53:56Z")
It is the United States of **America** , hence “Americans” for short. Canadians are not called “Americans” in that context (national demonym), even though Canada is in North America. CF United States of Mexico → Mexicanos. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/3 "2022-12-07T20:56:33Z")
> [@Loggins](#): > > But arent they all americans (North Americans) and people south of USA called South Americans (and Pan-Americans?) In a geographic sense, but not in a nationality sense. The United States of America is the only country in the Americas to use America in its name. Had the [United Provinces/Federal Republic of Central America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Republic_of_Central_America) survived as a concern it might be confusing, but since it didn’t, it isn’t. Americans makes perfect sense for citizens of the USA. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/4 "2022-12-07T20:57:26Z")
People from the USA are called Americans. If you want to refer to everyone in North America, you use the term North Americans. You may not think that it is “right” but that is the currently accepted convention. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/5 "2022-12-07T20:57:58Z")
Mexicans are North Americans, too. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/6 "2022-12-07T21:00:45Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Had the [Federal Republic of Central America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Republic_of_Central_America) survived as a concern it might be confusing Sure—there is nothing preventing their being two Georgias, two Congos, two Sudans, two Macedonias, regular Russia vs White Russia, etc. Sometimes this needs to be worked out diplomatically (hence “North Macedonia” as an official name, still full of Macedonians of course, to distinguish it from the larger Greek/Albanian/Bulgarian/et al Macedonian region). There are also potentially confusing variations like Niger vs Nigeria and Nigeri(a/e)ns. > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > You may not think that it is “right” but that is the currently accepted convention. Unless it is an anti-American protest, in which case it’s “Yankee, [go home]” ---
**Author:** ![Loggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Loggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loggins)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/7 "2022-12-07T21:10:22Z")
Now that i think about it, here in Norway we call nations between North and South america for Latin America. Not sure if we usually lump Mexico in that category. But as mentioned above - we call USAians “americans”, so it makes sense in a way. (not quite fair really) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/8 "2022-12-07T21:11:19Z")
We have “Central America” for the bits south of Mexico and north of Colombia. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/9 "2022-12-07T21:12:23Z")
Mexico counts as Latin America and so does Brazil, it’s more a language/culture thing than geographic. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/10 "2022-12-07T21:15:36Z")
By the way, the geographic convention is not to refer to North and South America as “America”. By convention they are typically each considered to be a separate continent. If you want to refer to both continents simultaneously, the convention is to call them “The Americas”. “America” (singular) typically refers to only the United States. Canadians and Mexicans aren’t from America. They are from The Americas or North America. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/11 "2022-12-07T21:17:37Z")
Yeah “Latin America” is not a geographic indicator (ETA: Well, except that it defines a place in the Americas.) Mexico is Latin American and North American; Suriname, Guyana, and Belize are often/usually excluded from “Latin America” as they weren’t influenced/colonized by Romance language nations. But “Latin America” can be a fuzzy concept. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/12 "2022-12-07T21:19:48Z")
> [@Loggins](#): > > But as mentioned above - we call USAians “americans”, so it makes sense in a way. (not quite fair really) From the CIA World Factbook: ### [Nationality](https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/nationality) **noun:** American(s) **adjective:** American In any case, we should call people what they themselves prefer to be called. I don’t know any Americans who prefer to be called “USAians”. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/13 "2022-12-07T21:21:54Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > By convention they are typically each considered to be a separate continent. Isn’t that a only local convention? I thought many Europeans consider the Americas to be a single continent. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/14 "2022-12-07T21:29:38Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > I thought many Europeans consider the Americas to be a single continent. I was not aware of that, but a quick google search confirms that you are correct. Britain says there are seven continents, same as us. France says there are six. North American and South America are one continent called Amerique. There seems to be a lot of variety in other countries. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/15 "2022-12-07T21:29:45Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Had the [Federal Republic of Central America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Republic_of_Central_America) survived as a concern it might be confusing Upon reflection, a good example is the Central African Republic vs. the Republic of South Africa; you pretty much have to say “Central Africans” or “South Africans”, not just “Africans”. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/16 "2022-12-07T21:32:47Z")
The critical thing to realize is that language is not logical. However much sense it might be for “American” to refer to anybody from the continent, in English it always means someone from the USA. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/17 "2022-12-07T21:33:28Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Isn’t that a only local convention? I thought many Europeans consider the Americas to be a single continent. They do, but somehow they think of Europe and Asia as two separate continents. Those two are much more physically connected, and, ideed, most of both continents are on the same techtonic plate. > **[Take a Look at This Map of Tectonic Plates and Their Boundaries](https://www.thoughtco.com/map-of-tectonic-plates-and-their-boundaries-1441098)** > > The 2006 tectonic plate boundary map shows all the boundaries by type and where the plates are moving in 21 locations throughout the world. ---
**Author:** ![Loggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Loggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loggins)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/18 "2022-12-07T21:33:30Z")
Someone mentioned above, when i mentioned Latin America, that it is mostly called Central America. This is also true here in Norway, we DO call it “Sentral-Amerika” (Central America) besides Latin America ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/19 "2022-12-07T21:38:03Z")
Finland is on the Fenno-Scandian peninsula, but you would not say Finland is in Scandinavia, right? The key to Latin America is in the name (though see @pulykamell 's explanation) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/20 "2022-12-07T21:38:25Z")
> [@Loggins](#): > > Someone mentioned above, when i mentioned Latin America, that it is mostly called Central America. This is also true here in Norway, we DO call it “Sentral-Amerika” (Central America) besides Latin America “[Central America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_America)” and “[Latin America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_America)”, at least in English, mean different things. Central America is the grouping of nations in the Americas which are south of Mexico, but north of Colombia. As @pulykamell notes, Latin America (which is much larger) is a bit of a fuzzy term, but it’s generally used to describe the grouping of nations in the Americas (and the Caribbean) where Romance languages are predominantly spoken [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165.md?page=2)