why americans are called Yankee?

The story I know is that there was a phrase that the British would call Americans back when we were a colony and it was Yankee Doodle. I just looked it up and the term Yankee was a demeaning term that the British and Doodle meant fool. So putting them together was really a demeaning term. But the early Americans took the term and made it their own and wrote the song Yankee Doodle Dandy. When The U.S. had their Civil War, the soldiers were called Yankees. After the war, any American that is from the northern states, gets the nickname Yankee.And there is a baseball team named the Yankees.

There are several explanation. Mostly like Yankee has something to do with the Dutch. The Dutch came to settle in New York before the English. The English name John is Jan in Dutch. The Dutch J pronounces as Y. Jan and kee are common Dutch names. Some even suggested Yankee meant "John Cheese": The John (Dutch or English) who ate Cheese. Originally, Yankee was an insulting word. So it was political incorrect to call them Yankee. Unlike the modern generation, people then had humor and were thick-skinned. They didn't mind being called Yankee and later it became a word of pride.

It is an old term that took to people living in the U nited States!

I think that goes back to colonial times. I don't recall exactly what it means, but I think it was originally an insult made by the British to the people who had moved to the colonies (what is now America). Don't quote me on that, but I think I was told that at one time. Can someone back me up on that?