British name for people in the English colonies on the north American mainland?

Prior to and during the American Revolution, the name typically used by the British to denote the colonists on the North American continent was in fact 'American.' The term was not positive, as it was intended as yet one more way of distinguishing the colonists as different from (and lesser than) full British citizens. The colonists themselves were often disinclined to use the term to describe themselves given its disparaging meaning at the time.