The name “America” might sound like it’s been around forever, but it actually comes from a very specific moment in history. Imagine a mapmaker in the early 1500s, deciding what to call a newly charted land. One choice, one name, and suddenly an entire continent had its identity.
Who Is America Named After?
America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer who sailed across the Atlantic in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Unlike Christopher Columbus, who believed he had reached Asia, Vespucci realized these lands were part of a “New World.”
A German cartographer, Martin Waldseemüller, published a famous world map in 1507. On it, he labeled the new continent “America” after the Latinized version of Vespucci’s first name, Americus. That map was widely circulated, and the name stuck.
Why Amerigo Vespucci and Not Columbus?
It might seem odd that Columbus didn’t get naming rights, since he’s often credited with “discovering” the Americas. But timing, reputation, and interpretation all played a role.
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Vespucci published letters describing his voyages, which convinced Europeans the new lands weren’t Asia.
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Waldseemüller relied on Vespucci’s accounts when creating his map.
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Columbus died still believing he had found islands near Asia, not a brand-new continent.
In a way, Vespucci was the better storyteller. His vision of a “New World” helped reshape how Europeans saw geography.
Fun Facts About the Name “America”
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Waldseemüller’s 1507 map is sometimes called the “birth certificate of America.”
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At first, the name only applied to South America. Over time, it expanded to North America as well.
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In 1538, another cartographer, Gerardus Mercator, helped spread “America” further by applying it to the entire Western Hemisphere.
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There was once a debate about renaming the continent to honor Columbus instead, but by then “America” was already too popular.
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The U.S. adopted “United States of America” officially in 1776 when declaring independence.
Could America Have Been Named Something Else?
Yes—and history could have sounded very different! A few alternatives were considered in the early years:
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Columbia – a poetic name inspired by Columbus (still used in places like Washington, D.C. and Colombia).
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New World – more descriptive, but too vague to stick.
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Atlantis – occasionally referenced in early writings, linking the land to myths of a great western continent.
In the end, Waldseemüller’s choice outpaced the rest, simply because his map circulated widely across Europe.
What About Native Names?
Before Europeans arrived, the lands we now call “America” had countless names given by the Indigenous peoples who lived here for thousands of years. For example:
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The Lenape called their homeland Lenapehoking.
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The Haudenosaunee referred to their confederacy as Haudenosaunee, meaning “People of the Longhouse.”
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The Mexica (Aztecs) called their empire Anahuac.
These names reflected deep cultural ties and histories. Sadly, they were largely erased from global maps when Europeans imposed their own labels.
Personal Insight
I’ve always found it fascinating that such a massive part of our identity came down to a mapmaker’s decision over 500 years ago. If Waldseemüller had chosen differently, we might be living in the “United States of Columbia” today. Honestly, “America” just feels right—it’s hard to imagine it any other way.
Conclusion
So, who is America named after? The answer is Amerigo Vespucci, the explorer who helped Europeans realize they had stumbled onto a new continent. Thanks to one influential map, his name became attached not only to two continents but also to one of the most powerful countries in the world.
What do you think—does “America” feel like the perfect name, or can you imagine us being called something else?