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The name for the United States dollar comes from the Spanish dollar (which itself derived from the thaler) which was the silver coin widely circulated in the United States during the time of the American Revolutionary War. Although private banks issued currency that was backed in Spanish dollars, the Federal government didn't do so until the American Civil War.
The origin of the "$" sign has been variously accounted for. Perhaps the most widely accepted explanation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, is that it is the result of the evolution of the Mexican or Spanish "P's" for pesos, or piastres, or pieces of eight. This theory, derived from a study of old manuscripts, explains that the "S," gradually came to be written over the "P," developing a close equivalent to the "$" mark. It was widely used before the adoption of the United States dollar in 1785.
A dollar symbol with two vertical strokes is sometimes used. This is sometimes attributed to the idea of superimposing "U" and "S," but it appears to have already existed in the time when the area was still a number of British colonies.
| United States currency and coinage |
| Topics: Federal Reserve note | United States Notes | United States coinage | United States dollar |
| Currency: $1 | $2 | $5 | $10 | $20 | $50 | $100 | Larger denominations |
| Coinage: Penny | Nickel | Dime | Quarter | Half-dollar | Dollar |
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