Amorica was originally a fabled continent in ancient Greek myth . The Greeks believed it to be a paradise across the western ocean where some Greeks lived and intermarried with the natives . The Phoenicians also wrote of such a place. Later, the Romans believed this to be the island of Britain. (but see Armorica) After that, the southern part of the British island was renamed Britannia or Britain after the Briton tribes living there. Only Scotland was named Amorica then . The name faded when the Scots renamed it Scotland. America may have been named after the fabled continent of Greek myth, rather than after Amerigo Vespucci.




Reinforcing a common misconception, The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook Second Edition (Writer's Digest Books, 2005) misdefines Armorica as the ancient name for Britain, mistaking Britain for Brittany.