The term Yankee (and its shortened form Yank) has multiple meanings, referring to New Englanders, the Northeastern or Northern US, or all Americans depending on context. Its earliest recorded use dates to 1683, likely deriving from the Dutch name Janke ("Little John") in New Netherland, though an alternative theory points to the Flemish slur Jan Kees ("John Cheese"). Historically, British forces used it negatively for American colonists as early as the 1770s, and during the American Civil War, Confederates applied it derisively to Union soldiers. Interestingly, New Englanders only adopted the term as a self-descriptor after their victories at the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. Today, outside the US, "Yank" is a common informal label for Americans, used with varying tones of affection or criticism, while within the US it often carries cultural weight tied to Puritan New England heritage. Modern linguists reject theories of Indigenous origins, such as the false Cherokee word eankke meaning "coward."