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I think that Americans are just used to that nomenclature - and that's all it is. I think that it has persisted through the decades for another reason - which has not yet been mentioned.
People in America LIKE to see that part of the money paid to the restaurant actually goes to the worker - and therefore it is declared as a separate item - i.e. a "tip". This gives most a sense of gratitude. Most Americans would think of a system where the money going directly to the waitress is not declared separately (and therefore safely separate from what goes to the owner) as abhorrent.
Total meal prices would be the same if the "tip" was dropped, it would mean that the owner would have to up the price of the billed meal to pay the worker in a different fashion - i.e. directly. It would make no difference to what the worker earned in total - the difference would come from the owner rather than the patron, that's all. I'd be paying from my right pocket instead of my left. Big deal!
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