In the 17th century, many Dutch emigrated to North America, mainly to New England. As in many other languages, Jan (Jon) was a very common name in Dutch, and in those areas the diminutive Janke was used to name Dutch settlers. During the War of Secession, the northern sides took their nickname and today all Americans are called Yanki.

But there are also those who say that the word has an older origin. For some it comes from the Yankuitl word of nahuatl, which means “new people.” British writer Robert Graves, for his part, believed that ianke was a Comanche word that meant “cowards.”