Hispanic vs. Latino
The terms "Hispanic" and "Latino" are often used to describe persons from Spanish-speaking backgrounds and Latin American descent, but they have distinct meanings. "Hispanic" primarily refers to individuals connected to the Spanish language, while "Latino" pertains to geographical origins from Latin America. Though there is considerable overlap between the two groups, many individuals prefer to identify based on their specific country of origin rather than using either term.
In recent years, alternative identifiers such as "Latinx" have emerged, aiming to provide a more inclusive option, especially for gender diversity, although opinions on its usage vary widely. Surveys indicate that a significant portion of individuals within these communities do not strictly identify with the terms "Hispanic" or "Latino," with many opting for identifiers rooted in their specific heritage. The U.S. Census has consistently updated its classification of these groups, reflecting the evolving self-identification preferences among respondents. Overall, the discussion of these terms illustrates the complexity and diversity within these communities, as well as the ongoing evolution of cultural identity in the United States.
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Hispanic vs. Latino
The group of United States residents who have a common connection to the Spanish language are termed Hispanics, while Americans of Latin American descent are termed Latinos. Thus, in essence, Hispanic denotes language, and Latino denotes geography. There is a great degree of overlap between the two groups, however, and often the terms Hispanic and Latino are used interchangeably, as umbrella terms for ethnicity. While some Hispanics and Latinos use these terms to describe their ethnicity, a slight majority use their country of origin or descent instead. Starting in the 2010s, small numbers of Hispanics and Latinos began to self-identify as Latinx.
The US Census Bureau has used the term “Hispanic” to denote people of Spanish/Hispanic origin since 1970. According to its classification system, a person of Hispanic origin may be of any race. In the 1990 census, people could self-identify as belonging to one of the Hispanic subgroups: Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or Other Spanish/Hispanic. Those in the “Other” category could write in their subgroup. For the 2000 and 2010 censuses, respondents were able to select from five racial categories—African American or Black, American Indian or Native Alaskan, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and White—and also check “Hispanic or Latino” as a separate question about ethnicity. Hispanic or Latino respondents could then use one of three detailed checkboxes to further specify their ethnicity: Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano; Puerto Rican; or Cuban.
The 2020 census continued to use separate questions to collect data on race and ethnicity, but updated the wording of the ethnicity question to include "Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin." It also added a fourth detailed checkbox: "Yes, another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin." This fourth detailed checkbox asked respondents to write in their response and listed Salvadoran, Dominican, Colombian, Guatemalan, Spaniard, and Ecuadorian as samples, though respondents were free to self-identify and were not limited to using one of the samples. The results of this change were reflected in the US Census's 2021 American Community Survey, which provided the option to self-report racial identity. That survey found that the majority of Hispanics identified as more than one race—about 27.6 million, compared to only 3 million in 2010. Researchers believed this significant jump was due to the changes in the census form that allowed for written responses to the question about race, as well as increasing racial diversity among the Hispanic population.
In late 2011, the Pew Hispanic Center carried out a national bilingual survey of 1,220 Latino/Hispanic adults. According to the survey, 51 percent of respondents said that they used their family’s country of origin to describe their identity, while 24 percent used the terms “Hispanic” or “Latino” to describe themselves, and 21 percent used the term “American” most frequently. About half of those surveyed had no preference regarding the use of “Hispanic” or “Latino” to describe their identity, but the study found that of those who do have a preference, 33 percent preferred “Hispanic,” compared to 14 percent who preferred “Latino.”
A 2019 Pew survey of US Latino adults found that 47 percent of respondents said that they used their country of origin to describe themselves, while 39 percent used "Hispanic" or "Latino," and 14 percent used "American." When asked in 2022 whether they preferred the term "Hispanic" or "Latino," 18 percent of respondents had no preference, while 53 percent preferred "Hispanic" and 26 percent preferred "Latino." In 2023, researchers from the Pew Research Center reported that "Hispanic" and "Latino" were widely used as ethnic descriptors, but Hispanics and Latinos did not universally embrace the terms as self-identifiers.
Pew researchers also studied the use of the term "Latinx" as an alternate self-identifier for "Hispanic" and "Latino." Critics argue that "Latinx" disregards the gendered constructions used in the Spanish language, while proponents embrace it as a gender- and LGBTQ+-inclusive identifier. In a December 2019 Pew survey, researchers found that 76 percent of respondents had not heard of the term "Latinx." Another 23 percent had heard of the term but did not use it as a self-identifier, while 3 percent knew the term and used it to describe themselves.
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