After the war (independence) there was a lot of anti british sentiment-- the new govement made an effort to have new money, and reject Pence for cent (as in 1/100) and chose dime (which is not a nickname, but the name of ten cent piece, (nickel is a nickname, from the metal used to make the coin). Quaters became popular since the spanish gold dollars that had been used where often cut into 4 or 8 wedges, and a quarter today is still called "two bits". So US money names are a combination of new made up names for money, and existing non english names for money. The original plan was for three denominations, cents, dimes and dollars.Nickels and quarters where not part of the original monitary plan, but came to be latter.
What if find interesting is how England (and Ireland) have quickly adopted 1pound coins, but the US public fight against 1 dollar coins.
I think it is because most men in this country don't carry change in a coin purse, but loose in there pockets, and the dollar coins are too heavy.
