How/when did the wars earn their names? Is there a certain number of countries that have to be involved for it to be considered a world war? What were people's views on the name of the war?
In a way it was known as World War 2 before it even happened. On a rather depressing note in the mid-1930s several publications began calling the Great War, "World War I" or "The First World War".
September 11, 1939 is the first time "World War II" was used to describe the actual war by Time Magazine.
Pulled the primary sources from wikipedia
edit. typos