[General] Why is the letter "W" pronounced "double-u"?

[Tryna learn English]

Shouldn't it be "double-v"?
Also why do I never hear people in my area pronounce it "double-u" but just "doub-u" (like "double" without the second syllable, sounds like "dub-u") instead?
I'm in California, US.

 

[I.M. Knott]

'Shouldn't it be "double-v"?'
No. It should be "double-u."
'why do I never hear people in my area pronounce it "double-u" but just "doub-u" ?'
Just keep on listening. Maybe listen in a different area of California.

 

[Raymott]

Shouldn't it be "double-v"?
Also why do I never hear people in my area pronounce it "double-u" but just "doub-u" (like "double" without the second syllable, sounds like "dub-u") instead?
I'm in California, US.

"The Germanic /w/ phoneme was therefore written as 'vv' or 'uu' ('u' and 'v' becoming distinct only by the Early Modern period) by the 7th or 8th century ... "
W - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[emsr2d2]

Also, if you look at the handwriting of many English speakers, you will see that a "w" looks more like two "u"s next to each other. Most computer keyboards make it look like to "v"s. If you turn your screen (or your head) upside down and look at the letter "m", you will see how a handwritten "w" sometimes looks.