Is Hispanic a race, an ethnicity, or both?

When it comes to defining our identity, words matter. But this can also lead us to question: “Am I Hispanic or Latino?” or “Is Hispanic a race or a culture?” as well as causing some confusion regarding language, place of birth, culture, race, and background. This has to do with the fact that identities are often defined by a wide array of different things. So let’s shed some light on a few blurred conceptions. 

One of these first concepts is: what it means to be Hispanic, especially since every year, from September 15th to October 15th, the United States celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month and not National Latino Month. 

A 2015 survey carried out by the Pew Research Center explains that federal policy defines Hispanic not as a race but as an ethnicity and prescribes that Hispanics can be of any race. But the census shows that standard U.S. racial categories- White, Black, Asian, American Indian, or Pacific Islander- might either be confusing or not provide relevant options for Hispanics to describe their racial identity.

This becomes even more evident considering that, in the 2010 census, 94% of the US population selected at least one of those five racial categories, but among Latinos, only 63% selected at least one. Instead, 37% of them went for “some other race,” with many offering write-in responses such as “Mexican,” “Hispanic,” or “Latin American.”

The study shows that for two-thirds of Hispanics, their Hispanic background is a part of their racial background, not something separate. This suggests that Hispanics have a unique view of race that doesn’t necessarily fit within the official US definitions.

But this might not come as such a surprise when we consider that many Latinos have mixed ancestry: some from Spain, others from Africa, and some indigenous. And when they have been in the US for a couple of generations, there could also be an American grandfather or mother. In these cases, how could you describe your race? 

The Census Bureau estimates there were roughly 62.6 million Hispanics in the U.S. as of 2021, making up 19% of the nation’s population. But more than 20 million identified with more than one race on the 2020 census. Latino or Latin American could be an easier way to summarize that mixture.

This brings us to the second question: do Hispanic and Latino mean the same thing? In 1976, the U.S. Congress passed a law stating that “Americans of Spanish origin or descent,” or Hispanics, are “Americans who identify themselves as being of Spanish-speaking background and trace their origin or descent from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South America, and other Spanish-speaking countries.”

But, while the government only uses the term “Hispanic,” other institutions use “Hispanic” and “Latino” interchangeably. Some make a distinction saying that Hispanics are people from Spain or from Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America (this excludes Brazil, where Portuguese is the official language), while Latinos are people from Latin America regardless of language (this includes Brazil but excludes Spain and Portugal). 

Is ‘Mexican’ a Race?

A 2019 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 47% of Hispanics most often describe themselves by their family’s country of origin, while 39% use the terms Latino or Hispanic, and 14% most often describe themselves as American. And in recent years, another label emerged: “Latinx,” which is used as a gender and LGBTQ+-inclusive term but is rarely chosen or even known by the Hispanic or Latino population. 

And there is another doubt regarding the country of origin and race or ethnicity. Some people, particularly in US states where the Latino population is associated mainly with just one Latin American country, tend to use the nationality to refer to all Latinos- for instance, they use Mexican as a synonym for Latino or Hispanic in California. And this is, of course, a mistake.

Labels can be a way to help visualize and bring awareness towards certain groups of people; for instance, recognizing the particularities of the Hispanic or Latino community should promote specific policies for that group. But since these labels are used to refer to many things, such as language, culture, country of origin, and race can also lead to misunderstandings. In the end, acknowledging these mixtures enrich our nation, and it is important to respect all the differences.