Why were native americans called indians?

Some Europeans have called Native Americans "redskins" or, more commonly, [citation needed] "Red Indians". This is partially based on the color metaphors for race which colonists and settlers historically used in North America and Europe, and also to distinguish Native Americans from the Indian people of India. read more

2) According to the wiki references, Native Americans called their elders as 'Indians' and that remained a family name for many over generations. 3) The term was regarded as a subset of the word 'Indigenous' which means native. read more