Why do people of the United States call themselves americans?

Question

America is a continent not a country, and it goes from Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) to Canada.

Answer 1

Because our country is called United States of America....so we call ourselves Americans because it is in our name. Just like people from Mexico are Mexicans and from Canada they are called Canadians and so forth. It would sound funny if we called our self United Statians....lol, don't you think?

Answer 2

That would actually be2 continents. And they call themselves Americans because there is no way to shorten United States Of America other than American. If they shortened it to USer, it would make more sense, since they actually consume more than any other country on the planet, but user has already been taken

Answer 3

We live in North America which includes all the states and Mexico. People in South America could also call themselves Americans.

Answer 4

The entirety of the Americas was named after an Italian explorer
Amerigo Vespucci...Although he first came to the Americas in 1499 7 years after Columbus' voyage he was the first explorer to prove how far west he had sailed, and prove the Americas were in fact not Asia. Thus I say in his honor we call ourselves Americans....thankfully not Columbusians or United Statsians

Answer 5

Because the full name is the United States of America and therefore we say Americans. Besides it's easier to say than United Statesians

Answer 6

Because Amerigo Vespucci discovered this continent. That is where the America comes from. And our national name is The United States of America.

Answer 7

The appropriate phrase is "United States of Americans". However, that's a lot to say just to get across a simple concept. Therefore, we Americans abbreviate it by chopping off the first 3 words.

Answer 8

It is the United States of America -- that's why we are Americans.

Answer 9

Because United Statesan has too many syllables and sounds ridiculous?

If you're from Japan, you're actually Asian, but you break it down further and call yourself Japanese. We do the same thing...we're American, but depending on the state in which you live, you're also a Californian, a New Yorker, a Georgian, etc.

Answer 10

Because we are the United States of America,
so we call ourselves americans because it is where we come from...for that matter why would people from asia call themselve asians?