Where did the term “yankee” come from?
The origins of the term are disputed. One theory claims that it originated in the 1760s from an English rendering of the Dutch language “Jan-Kees” (two of the most common given names of the Dutch), a nickname used by Dutch settlers in upstate New York referring to the New Englanders who were migrating to their region. (See Martin Van Buren.) The word may also be derived from “yancey”, the word many Native American tribes used to refer to Whites during the early colonial period. The first recorded use of the term by an Englishman to refer to Americans appears in the 1780s, in a letter by Admiral Lord Nelson. There are several other folk and humorous etymologies for the word. One influence on the use of the term throughout the years has been the song Yankee Doodle, which was popular at the time of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). Though the British intended to insult the colonials with the song, following the Battle of Concord, it was adopted by Americans as a proud retort and
