# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/61 "2022-12-08T07:45:46Z")
They’re known as Americans because the U.S. called dibs. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/62 "2022-12-08T07:59:27Z")
I don’t know if this is still true, but when I lived in one of the two Congos 60 years ago, people talked about going back to, not the US of A, not American, but the States. But that was never a name used for anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/63 "2022-12-08T08:44:10Z")
> [@Loggins](#): > > So what is the right descriptive name for people from USA? Americans. We don’t tell people in los Estados Unidos Mexicanos that they can’t call themselves Mexicans. We don’t tell people in a Republica Federativa do Brasil that they can’t call themselves Brazilians. We don’t tell people in the Dominion of Canada that they can’t call themselves Canadians. So why should people in other countries feel they can tell people in the United States of America that they can’t call themselves Americans? Americans is just as much our name as Mexicans or Brazilians or Canadians is theirs. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/64 "2022-12-08T11:09:47Z")
I typically refer to the USA as the US or The States, I don’t think it’s confined to the Congo. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/65 "2022-12-08T11:37:02Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > people talked about going back to, not the US of A, not American, but the States Calling the country “The States” is a common convention among ex-pats of the U.S.A. who are living abroad. ---
**Author:** ![Loggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Loggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loggins)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/66 "2022-12-08T12:22:03Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Yes; Finland is a certainly a member of the Nordic Council, along with Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. So is Iceland! But are they _Scandinavian?_ Seems like a sensitive issue. BTW, there are still some regions of Finland in which Swedish is spoken (and Swedish speakers amount to ~5% of the population). I dont think there is much doubt here in Norway that Scandinavia is containing the nations of Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Im not sure what Norden means … IE Nordic countries ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/67 "2022-12-08T12:40:41Z")
This is why the Olympic flag has five rings (rather than six): one each for Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and America. The guy who created the symbol (and also founded the IOC) was French. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2022, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/68 "2022-12-08T13:46:09Z")
> [@Loggins](#): > > I dont think there is much doubt here in Norway that Scandinavia is containing the nations of Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. I think there’s a lot of doubt, and it depends on the context. > **[Where is Scandinavia? A Guide to the Scandinavian Countries](https://www.scandinaviastandard.com/where-is-scandinavia-a-guide-to-the-scandinavian-countries/)** > > Where is Scandinavia? We decipher which countries are considered Scandinavian and why, from geography to history to culture to language. We also answer: is Finland part of Scandinavia? As well as: Is Iceland part of Scandinavia? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/69 "2022-12-08T13:52:06Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Calling the country “The States” is a common convention among ex-pats of the U.S.A. who are living abroad. I can confirm that. Most Americans I’ve known in Israel, myself included, usually refer to the U.S. as “the States.” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/70 "2022-12-08T13:53:52Z")
> [@caligulathegod](#): > > Ok, this is purely anecdotal and from my own experience. Back in 1994, I spent a few months in Argentina and we were supposed to refer to ourselves as “North Americans,” as they kind of got offended as they considered themselves “American” as well. As far as I could tell, it came from the fact the name they called our country was “Estados Unidos”. I tried to explain that we were actually “Estados Unidos de América” and that’s why we called ourselves Americans. We weren’t stealing the name of the continent we all lived on. Not disputing your excellent explanation. Here’s something else that may explain a bit more … Here in the US we sometimes use “US” and sometimes “USA”. Whether expressed as initials or as the whole words. Being the biggest brashest kid in the Americas means we can leave the “of America” off, or include it, or just call ourselves “Americans”. Rightly or wrongly. IME the only abbreviation for the USA used in Latin American Spanish is “EE.UU.” or “EEUU”. As in _Estados Unidos_. Regardless of whether that’s simply customary or is a semi-conscious pushback against the USA claiming the “America” part for themselves, it has the effect of reinforcing that POV for Spanish speakers. Ultimately, “United States” is ambiguous as here are a bunch of countries whose name starts that way. “America” is ambiguous because it’s part of the name of a lot more places than just the USA. And muddying the waters further “Dollar” is ambiguous because roughly 30 countries use that as their monetary unit. But in an international context and absent any other qualifiers, "dollar " usually means “US dollar”. None of this is logical. It’s certainly not necessarily “right” or “fair”. But it is so. In another context a French Foreign Minister a decade or two ago spoke of the “Extravagant privilege” associated with being the biggest loudest economy and biggest loudest cultural exporter and biggest loudest military / international relations power. Both “extravagant” and “privilege” were well chosen words. For good or ill. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/71 "2022-12-08T15:15:21Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > The critical thing to realize is that language is not logical. I wonder what percentage of threads on this board, or conversations on the internet in general, break down to ‘why doesn’t this word mean what it means?’ ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/72 "2022-12-08T17:28:31Z")
Estadounidense seems to be becoming more common in recent years. There is also the confusing option of “norteamericano” which means from the United States, even though Spanish speakers recognize that North America is more than just the U.S. Another example of how words mean what they mean and not what they are supposed to mean. French also has “etatsunisien(ne)” although “americain(ne)” is more common. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/73 "2022-12-08T17:34:11Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > Estadounidense seems to be becoming more common in recent years. Yes, it’s been adopted by tens of people. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/74 "2022-12-08T17:40:10Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > Estadounidense seems to be becoming more common in recent years. More common where? Not in America. And by “America,” I mean the “United States of America,” because here we commonly refer to the nation-state as “America” (and also the “United States” in more formal contexts) and ourselves as “Americans.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/75 "2022-12-08T17:40:39Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Regardless of whether that’s simply customary or is a semi-conscious pushback against the USA claiming the “America” part for themselves The United States of America became a country in 1776. Every other country in North America, Central America, and South America became a country after 1776. So we are not claiming the name Americans from those other countries; we named ourselves first. They are trying to claim it from us. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/76 "2022-12-08T17:42:16Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > There is also the confusing option of “norteamericano” which means from the United States, even though Spanish speakers recognize that North America is more than just the U.S. Forty years ago, in high school Spanish class, I understood norteamericano to mean Americans or Canadians (but not Mexicans). ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/77 "2022-12-08T17:51:05Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > in high school Spanish class, I understood norteamericano to mean Americans or Canadians (but not Mexicans). Yes, although in some contexts, Mexico (and sometimes Central America), are included in “North America,” specifically when referring to geography, I don’t think I’ve heard Mexicans or Central Americans (or people from the Caribbean Islands) referring to themselves as “North Americans.” That generally means Americans and Canadians. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/78 "2022-12-08T18:53:01Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Calling the country “The States” is a common convention among ex-pats of the U.S.A. who are living abroad. That was my understanding, but I only wanted to testify to my personal experience. And my daughter never used that phrase when she lived in Germany and Hong Kong, so I wondered if it was still extant. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/79 "2022-12-08T18:55:30Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > They’re known as Americans because the U.S. called dibs. Probably came from the same place that made us call the baseball championship the World Series even before there were any teams from Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165/80 "2022-12-08T19:03:37Z")
I think it’s about time we coined “USAmians”. And, while we’re at it, MAGA should be MUSAGA 😄 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-people-from-usa-called-not-americans/976165.md?page=5)