# Why folks from the U.S. are called **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 27, 2000, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086 "2000-07-27T18:53:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/21 "2000-07-29T08:22:46Z")
This point will be moot in a few years when Canada and the USA merge politically for trade reasons. After all, you can’t think it stopped with NAFTA. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/22 "2000-07-29T16:43:51Z")
AETBOND417 wrote: > [@](#): > > Hmmm… a few hundred years times $100,000 a year times about 20 countries… buh-bye National Debt. Much as I appreciate the sarcasm in the rest of your post, I have the insatiable urge to nitpick when it comes to numbers. Particularly with numbers as large as the dollar amount of the U.S. Federal debt. According to [http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opdpenny.htm](http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opdpenny.htm), which calculates the National Debt down to the penny and is updated every day (or at least every week), the U.S. Federal public debt on 27-July-2000 was $5,673,849,483,128.50. That’s over five **trillion** U.S. dollars. $100,000 per country per year, times 20 countries, times 300 years (we were called “Americans” back in the colonial days, after all), totals $600,000,000. That’s less than a paltry **billion** dollars. This wouldn’t even begin to put a dent in the National Debt – which is still rising at close to a hundred billion dollars a year. We now return to your regularly scheduled Canuck-bashing, already in progress. ---
**Author:** ![AETBOND417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@AETBOND417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AETBOND417)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/23 "2000-07-29T16:52:34Z")
I’m certainly not going to let them off with merely $100,000 a year, but it’s a start for some of the more destitute countries. ---
**Author:** ![Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilgore_Trout_1)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/24 "2000-07-29T16:54:59Z")
i have not once heard someone up here complain about americans being called americans. someone on this board did, once. and they were american, i think. so, **baloo**. think before you post such a ridiculous thread. it isn’t as common an opinion as you think, dumbass. ---
**Author:** ![AETBOND417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@AETBOND417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AETBOND417)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/25 "2000-07-29T16:55:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Asher \* > \*\*And Canada doesn’t have the word America in its name. \*\* I was referencing the title of North America. Example: USA Person: “I am American.” Canadian: “Me too.” USA Person: “Really? I thought you were Canadian.” Canadian: “Yes. I am. I am also North American.” USA Person: “Hmmm…” ---
**Author:** ![Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilgore_Trout_1)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/26 "2000-07-29T16:59:18Z")
yes, it was an american. suck that. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lance Turbo \* > \*\*It always bothers me when people use the term American to mean Citizen of the United States of America. I know that is rather unwieldy, but it is accurate. Also, Canadians are Americans. They live on a continent called “North America” and therefore don’t really have a choice in the matter. American is a broad term that cover the inhabitants of two continents. > > Feel free to disagree, almost everyone I have ever met does. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/27 "2000-07-29T17:25:10Z")
Over the years, several Mexicans of my acquaintance have expressed a little resentment at our (Americans) use of the words “The United States” to mean only “The United States of America.” Their point being that they, too, are citizens of “The United States,” but of Mexico rather than America. ---
**Author:** ![SSgtBaloo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@SSgtBaloo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSgtBaloo)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/28 "2000-07-29T18:26:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kilgore Trout \* > \*\*i have not once heard someone up here complain about americans being called americans. > > someone on this board did, once. and they were american, i think. > > so, **baloo**. think before you post such a ridiculous thread. it isn’t as common an opinion as you think, dumbass. \*\* Kilgore: I did not start this topic to see who I could piss off. I have not called anyone names. I _have_ noticed that occasionally, someone _does_ make that objection, usually in jest, but not always. My observations were not made solely at this board. I have also not resorted to name calling, and would prefer that others try to keep this discourse civil. If that is not possible, I will request this thread be closed. I can satisfy my curiosity regarding this subject in other venues, but assumed that the SDMB folks would include a large number of people from other countries who would be able to shed light on whether the OP was a burning issue, a joke, or the disgruntled rantings of but a few folks who perceived the title of “American” as a subtle claim to the reast of the western hemisphere. ~~Baloo ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/29 "2000-07-29T18:56:18Z")
My observations are: 1. When the United States of America was formed, there weren’t any independent nation-states in North America. So, the name “United States of America” was a logical one to pick in 1776. They were the only states that were united at the time. 2. There is an organization (of which the USA is a member) called the Organization of American States and it includes just about every country in North and South America and the Caribbean. I don’t think anyone gets particularly worked up over that name. 3. Personally, I have never heard anyone from Mexico refer to their country as the “United States of Mexico” even though that is the English form of the country’s full name. You don’t hear Mexican soccer fans chanting “EUM! EUM! EUM!” during matches. The USA just got the name first and has the advantage of being the biggest country from both an economic and military standpoint, so no one is going to complain about too much ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/30 "2000-07-30T00:04:26Z")
This truly one of the more bizarre posts I’ve seen, next to the obvious posts listing things that Jebus doesn’t like on women. I’ve discussed this one to death at Delphi forums, except from the opposite point of view. An American woman felt that all people from North and South America were Americans, and referred to them as such. At which point 150 Canadians jumped in and said that “America” is nowhere in the name of our country, we commonly refer to citizens of the United States of America as Americans, and resent being called Americans, as we are Canadians. Canada is part of North America. If you feel a need to identify us by continent, then use North Americans, which at least identifies the continent. I have never, in my almost 29 years as a Canadian, heard another Canadian ever express the desire to be referred to as an American. Where are you getting this information from?? ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/31 "2000-07-30T00:24:26Z")
Citizens of most countries are called something similar to their name. As Mexico’s full name is “The United States of Mexico” (In english translation, roughly), and we still call them Mexico/Mexicans, I think it is totally appropriate for people to call citizens of the “United States of America” Americans. Of course, there are the PC people that don’t want to offend anyone and end up offending everone… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/32 "2000-07-30T00:39:50Z")
Well, we could always just make the term Yankee official… ---
**Author:** ![Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilgore_Trout_1)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/33 "2000-07-30T00:48:11Z")
yeah, what lola said. ---
**Author:** ![SSgtBaloo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@SSgtBaloo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSgtBaloo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/34 "2000-07-30T01:09:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lolagranola \* > \*\*I have never, in my almost 29 years as a Canadian, heard another Canadian ever express the desire to be referred to as an American. Where are you getting this information from?? \*\* I’ve never heard a Canadian express the desire to be called an American either. I have, however, heard Canadians (and some other nationalities) express puzzlement that folks from the USA were called “Americans”, as if we thought we owned the continent(s). ~~Baloo ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/35 "2000-07-30T03:20:31Z")
That’s a real stumper. Around here, we call y’all Americans. I think because of the “United States of America” thing. “United States of Mexico” to us means Mexican. We all agree that Americans think they own the continent, but not because of the term American. Anyway, if you hear someone refer to themself as European, you rarely think that it’s because they own the continent. ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/36 "2000-07-30T03:35:11Z")
What, the US doesn’t own the continent?? I thought that happened a while ago…oh wait, I forgot, the US is just concerned with owning the world… ---
**Author:** ![APB9999](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB9999](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB9999)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/37 "2000-07-30T03:37:11Z")
I think we (Americans) should start insisting that we be called “The Lords of the Earth”. But we should allow the Canadians to just call us “sir”, because we are such close allies and all. ---
**Author:** ![Bluepony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Bluepony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bluepony)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/38 "2000-07-30T03:54:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*Well, we could always just make the term Yankee official… > \*\* Speaking for me and a couple’a other Southerners…that name won’t go too far down here! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2000, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/39 "2000-07-30T04:12:11Z")
All right, since no one else seems willing to do so, allow me to end the debate right here. The reason we’re called Americans is because the United States of America is the only country in either continent that has the word “America” in its title. And _unlike_ South Africa, it’s pretty hard to use the entire title when referring to its citizens. “South African” isn’t problematic; “United Statesean” (or whatever) is. It’s the same with any unusual or long country title; you just have to use what’s best. Same reason the people of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics were Soviets and not Republicans. (And since I’m no good at all at making jokes, I’ll stop right here. :)) ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2000, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086/40 "2000-07-31T16:22:04Z")
How about this: It’s perfectly correct to refer to residents of the United States of America as “Americans,” for reasons such as convenience, tradition, etcetera. It is _not_, however, correct to refer to the United States itself as “America,” given that this term explicitly encompasses a much larger area (i.e., the sum of North and South America). Anyway, we’ve already got a nice, snappy abbreviation for our country–the U.S. Anyone got a problem with that? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-folks-from-the-u-s-are-called/27086.md?page=3)