Because the USA is named after the continent.

Mercator’s 1538 map is the first time, as far as we know, that the name ‘America’ was applied to all of the Americas, and the first time that the names ‘North America’ and ‘South America’ were used.

In English, the meaning of the word ‘America’ has evolved over time. [And, yes, Roda/Saris/Mrs. Anonymous/Mrs. Obvious/Misses the Obvious, we all know that it is humans that create words, give words meaning, and give additional meanings to words.] It used to be common in English to refer to all of the Americas as ‘America’. Now it is quite rare. Now we are more likely to use ‘North America’ and ‘South America’ in reference to two continents, not one continent called ‘America’. Either way, whether the USA is considered to be in America or North America, the word ‘America’ is in the name of the continent, so that is why we use the word ‘America’ in the name of our country.

Evolve meaning taking it from the original meaning? the continent? How do you explain this evolving? Was it because of a few people's stupidity that the world evolved? or Was it for a different reason? But, if people realized what has been done to the meaning of the word "America" and they are good people, wouldn't they recourse to make amends? give back its original meaning and find a new name for the country? Why is it that they didn't do this, but instead kept it and tried to change the name of the continent? This does not sound like a evolving meaning of the word, perhaps something like taking of the word from other sources? changing its meaning for a purpose? Or just being naive and pretend that nothing is wrong and claim that the word just got a new meaning by evolving? Nah, this is more than just a word taking a new meaning due to evolution..lol

If it really concerns you so much that Vespucci didn’t explore in North America, then stop using your beloved ‘América’ to refer to all of the Americas, you hypocrite. ‘America’ originally referred to only South America. Vespucci actually explored there. Your current beloved meaning of ‘América’ includes Central America and North America. Vespucci didn’t explore there. Why do you criticize others for doing exactly what you do?, you monumental dimwit.

And, yes, Roda/Saris/Mrs. Anonymous, I know that humans changed the meaning of the word. So relax, Einstein. The point is that the meaning has changed in Spanish, English, and many other languages. The point is that the changes in English are just as correct and proper as the changes in Spanish.

Exactly, my point, humans have changed the meaning of the word "America". Now, the issue is at what point is this right, logical or correct? To change meanings is the least of the problem, but since humans are involved there might also be some reason to change the meanings in words. I have been pointing out that for a while! That the meaning changed by persons (who knows when this started) seems to have a purpose or an agenda behind it. That there is a conflict, there is, and now you are finally accepting that the name "America" is actually the continent's name but you still can't seem to explain why the USA use this name for the country knowing that it was the continent's name? Why didn't it correct this issue but instead recur to change the name of the continent instead? See, changing the meaning of names is easy, what is not is the why and what for?

If you read about how the map came to be, you will find that Waldseemuller and Ringmann did not just use Vespucci's navegation maps etc, no, they were using other navegacion maps and records from the time. There were others who navigated around California, and Florida, and other parts of America. They chose to name it after Vespucci but there were other resources from others that were useful to come up with the map of 1503. "Various remarks made in passing throughout the book implied that this map was extraordinary. It had been printed on several sheets, the author noted, suggesting that it was unusually large. It had been based on several sources: a brand-new letter by Amerigo Vespucci (included in the Introduction to Cosmography); the work of the second-century Alexandrian geographer Claudius Ptolemy; and charts of the regions of the western Atlantic newly explored by Vespucci, Columbus and others. Most significant, it depicted the New World in a dramatically new way."

This is the source for the info above: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-waldseemuller-map-charting-the-new-world-148815355/

It is what it is. Nothing has to be or is going to be the way you want it. Deal with it.

German, “You lose, American a55hole.”

This is a quote from the classic Jean-Claude Van Damme film ‘Bloodsport’. But in this case, I am using the rare continental sense of ‘American’, not the extremely common national sense. Enjoy.

Hold on, don't call me Unitedstatesian! it sounds like Asian. Statian, or United Statian is OK.

Lol, even so Austrian sounds like Australian (which are residents from 2 different countries) as well … so calling you Unitedstatesian or United Statesian is acceptable even if it sounds like Asian. It especially looks like the proper demonym that is derived from the country’s name known as United States (which refers to the USA only)!

I’m NOT calling you just Statian (without United in front) and United Statian (without ‘es’ between the letters of ‘t’ and ‘i’ in Statian). Sorry!

actually, the US is not entirely located in America, as Hawaii and some US territories are located in Oceania. similarly, the kingdom of the netherlands owns 3 constituent countries located in America

Once again you prove yourself to be completely ignorant. Not that any more proof was needed. Did you study logic? If you did, you would know that the application of names in natural human language is not inherently logical in the way that mathematics, or computer science, or a coherent argument is logical. You are such a clown. Explain the logic of using ‘Norteamérica’ as a country name for the US. Spanish and all other languages are not logical in the way you pretend they are. This doesn’t just apply to English. You only think it does because of your bias, ignorance, and simplemindedness.

Or you like to recur to denying by explaining the unexplainable, or You might be just talking about the English language. But, wait! I forgot that they actually found out that it was so illogical to have the country be called the same name as the continent in which it resides, that they had to make it logical by changing the name of the continent thereby dividing it between North and South America. To me it seems logic played a role in the use of the name "America" as far as this conflict was concerned.

So it became logical as soon as people had a concept of North America and South America?

Correct, the USA is in America. America is not in the USA. The continent, of America is divided into 3 subregions, North, Central and South America. These are only subregions of the continent of America. The USA is located in Norht America, that is in the Northern Subregion of America the continent. Panama is located in the Central Subregion of the continent of America, and not in the central USA. Peru is located in the South Subregion of the continent of America, and not in the south of the USA.

And the US is very commonly called America. By many, many millions of people. Who speak many different languages. Scoreboard!

And by many Spanish speakers. Especially in Spain. Because, you know, Spanish is an inherently logical language.

Spain?? Not according to the Real Academia Espanola and you yourself quoted it in here: "El diccionario de la Real Academia Española recientemente ha modificado la definición de América y americano, probando que en la actualidad estas palabras son generalmente usadas en referencia a los Estados Unidos y desaconsejando el uso con este inapropiado significado." According to what it says, hte Real Academia Espanola it discourages people to use America to call the U.S. as it says it is an inappropriate meaning of the name.

If we didn't know that the name America was inappropriately being used to name a country such as the U.S., we wouldn't be discussing this issue here or anywhere else. We know that it is being used, and as the Real Academia Espanola says, used inappropriately! This is the case we have been raising here at this site that it is wrong/inappropriate to use America for the name of a country/USA not that is not being used, but that is being used inappropriately.

Done by United Statians and the local translation of movies into different languages. This way the US manipulates young people with good fantasy films.

Utter nonsense. When will you learn that when discussing the usage and meaning of words in English, it doesn’t matter AT ALL how things are done in Spanish or any other language? Spanish doesn’t have to follow all the rules and conventions of English or any other language, and English isn’t obligated to follow all the rules and conventions of Spanish or any other language.

You have to respect your neighbors, independently of your mother language. The ignorance has a limit. Go beyond and you could be arrogant.

German, these are the perfectly logical languages that you referred to. Your amazing ignorance knows no bounds. You have no f*cking clue how languages work.

"desaconsejando el uso con este inapropiado significado." Did you read what it says here? It says that the Real Academia Espanola, does not advise to use it with this inappropriate meaning. Meaning that to use it to mean the name of the U.S. is inappropriate.

So the very rarely used name is “correct” and the very commonly used name is “incorrect”? How the language is actually spoken shows that ‘Americas’ is perfectly proper. It doesn’t matter that you don’t like it. It doesn’t matter how things are often done in other languages. It doesn’t matter that you have fabricated a bunch of fake rules that “prove” that it is wrong. People will continue to use ‘America’, ‘Americas’, and ‘American’ as they have been using them. The fact that they are used this way means that they have their respective meanings, and that they are correct. Their usage makes them correct. Your preferences and BS rules don’t make them incorrect. You have absolutely no idea how language works.

I assume that by "language" you mean "English". This is another example of anglocentrism. Let me tell you that all the languages that I know (Spanish, French, Italian) are logic. It amazes me that you think of yourself as an authority to speak about languages when you surely can't say a word in any other languages but English.

You assume wrong. I am talking about all languages. No language is logical (not ‘logic’) in the way you mistakenly think they are. How is it ‘logic’ to refer to the US and Americans as ‘Norteamérica’ and ‘norteamericanos’ when referring their country and nationality? If Spanish only demonstrates pure logic, how can the term ‘fútbol americano’ exist? How can ‘las Américas’ exist? You might not like or use these terms, but they surely exist. How can many Spaniards call the US ‘América’? How can many Brazilians call Americans ‘americanos’? The list goes on on. These are the perfectly logical (not ‘logic’) languages that you refer to? Again, you have no clue what you are writing about. Someone who demonstrates as much ignorance as you do should learn not to pretend to speak with any authority. Stop embarrassing yourself.

The first sentence of this comment should have been this quote:

“Words are manipulated by people! Words themselves don't change their meaning....”

Not an observation, it's true. So as words are manipulated by people, hence the word/name America has been manipulated by people to use it in whatever new meaning they chose to. In this case, with the U.S. using it to call itself with the same name of the continent where the U.S. stands on and with other countries also in the same continent, the matter seems complicated and conflicted. The issue gets even more strange when the continent was divided into two by the same countries who teach that the name of the U.S. is America. America is one continent and the U.S. is a country in that continent so the name of the U.S. is United States of America but not America by itself. Even when some in the world thinks it is the name of the U.S.

It is an observation that happens to be true. You should be happy because most of your observations are not true. Yes, obviously it is people who have given different meanings to the name ‘America’. This is how all words get their meanings. This is how your beloved, precious meaning of ‘America’ as all of the Americas came into being. Where your thinking goes horribly wrong is when you think that only your preferred altered meaning is correct, and that other meanings that you don’t like are incorrect. ‘America’ means the USA just as much as it means the Americas, and for exactly the same reasons. I know you don’t like it and that it hurts your feelings, but this doesn’t matter and it doesn’t change the facts and the reality of the situation. Any argument you make that ‘America’ doesn’t mean the USA is completely false.

Look your writings explain the conflict right away. When you can't use the word America for both the country and the continent on the same sentence. This is because you might feel conflicted to do it, and it shows that it is a conflict to have used the same name of the continent to use it for the country. For that reason, the English speaking world can't seem to use the original name of continent and because they felt the conflict, it was easier to recur and change the name of the continent by dividing it into two thus the name America would then be free for the take. And take they did!