On This Day In History: The Name Of America Used For The First Time On World Map – On Apr 25, 1507

AncientPages.com - On April 25, 1507, Martin Waldseemüller (ca. 1470-ca. 1518) was the first to suggest that the newly discovered landmass in the New World should be called America.

It was, in fact, in South America. The last known copy of this magnificent world map is stored in the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division in Washington, D.C.

“America” is identified in the top portion of this segment of the 1507 Waldseemüller map. Geography and Map Division. Image source

Waldseemüller was born at Radolfzell on the Bodensee and matriculated at the University of Freiburg in 1490. Much of Waldseemüller's early life remains obscure.

He first came to light as a member of the group of humanist scholars and geographers, which was popular at the court of Duke René II of Lorraine and influenced later-16th-century German interest in geography.

News of the discoveries in the New World traveled quickly to transalpine Europe, and Alsace and Lorraine soon became important centers of interest and study of the findings.

When copies of the letters of Amerigo Vespucci arrived at the court, they generated even more interest in the New World, and Waldseemüller published a volume called " Cosmographiae introductio" ("Introduction to Cosmography"), which contained a description of the New World as well as a translation of Vespucci's letters.

Seeking a name for the new lands, Waldseemüller, who had not then heard of Christopher Columbus, suggested the name: America (a Latinized version of "Amerigo")  after Vespucci.

It was the first map created in 1507 by Martin Waldseemüller, who later suggested a revision when he became aware of Columbus's role in the discoveries. His original suggestion, however,  had already become very popular.

America remained the common designation for the new continents, and Waldseemüller retained the nickname "the godfather of America."

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