Native Americans came to be called “Indians” because Christopher Columbus wrongly believed he had reached Asia (the Indies) when he landed in the Caribbean in 1492, and the label stuck in European and later U.S. usage. Today, many people and institutions prefer terms like Native American, American Indian, or specific tribal/national names depending on context and community preference.

Origin of the word “Indian”

  • Columbus was searching for a westward route to Asia and thought the Caribbean islands were near India or the “Indies.”
  • He called the people he met Indios (“people of the Indies”), which became “Indians” in English and spread through European colonial records, maps, and law.
  • Even after Europeans realized the Americas were a separate continent, they kept using “Indian,” and it became embedded in treaties, government agencies, and legal language in what became the United States.

Why the term persisted

  • The term “American Indian” appears in centuries of laws, treaties, and institutions such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs, so it remains a formal category in U.S. government language.
  • Because of that history, some Native people still use “Indian” or “American Indian” for themselves, especially in legal, political, or intertribal contexts.
  • Others reject it because it is based on a geographic mistake and tied to colonization, stereotypes, and erasure of distinct nations and cultures.

Native American vs. American Indian today

  • In general U.S. usage, “Native American,” “American Indian,” and broader terms like “Indigenous” or “Indigenous peoples of the Americas” are all used, often interchangeably in media and everyday speech.
  • Many writers and educators recommend being as specific as possible (e.g., Navajo, Diné, Cherokee, Ojibwe) rather than only using broad pan-Indian labels.
  • There is no single universally “correct” label; different individuals and communities may prefer “Indian,” “Native,” “Native American,” “Indigenous,” or only their own nation’s name.

What people prefer you say

  • Good practice in conversation is to follow a person’s lead: if someone identifies as Choctaw, Diné, or “Native,” mirror that wording, or politely ask their preference if it comes up naturally.
  • For writing aimed at a broad U.S. audience, many style guides support “Native American” or “Indigenous” in general discussion and specific nation names whenever possible, while still recognizing “American Indian” as a valid term in legal and self-identification contexts.
  • Classroom and public discussions increasingly include mini-lessons on the history and controversy around these terms so students understand that naming is tied to power, history, and identity, not just vocabulary.

Meta description: Learn why Native Americans have historically been called “Indians,” how Columbus’s error shaped the term, and what different Native communities prefer to be called today.