Where does the word 'Yankees' in the New York Yankees name come from?

Answer 1

There are several different theories as to where the name came from.

1. When the British took over New Amsterdam, renaming it New York, there was a bit of animosity between the Dutch and the British settlers. Hence, in English we have words like dutch uncle, dutch courage and dutch treat all starting as put-downs of the Dutch. Cheese was a staple of the Dutch diet, and the British used to put the Dutch down saying, "Look it's John Cheese". The Dutch used to throw this insult back at the British - John = Jahn, Cheese = Kees. Hence "Jahnkees" or Yankees was born. 2. During the time of heavy Dutch settlement in the New York area a common surname was Janke (pronounced Yan-kee). Those damn Yankees is a reference to the constant influx of the Dutch at the time with that surname.

3. The name "Yankees" comes from the old Dutch term, Jan kees, which was a sort of derogatory nickname.

New York 'Yankees' as the Team Nickname

The team moved to New York in 1903, and played at Hilltop Park in Manhattan. The ballpark was built at one of the highest points in Manhattan and so the team was then called the Highlanders. The name Highlanders was also the name of a British military unit The Gordon Highlanders, and the name of the teams President was Joseph Gordon.

As early as 1904 the press began to refer to the team as "the Yankees." The name Yankees was more commonly used in the coming years, and after the Highlanders moved to the Polo Grounds the reference to the team as the Highlanders no longer applied as they no longer played at a higher elevation. The team name was then changed to the more commonly used name the Yankees in 1913.