Hispanic, Latino and Spanish are all terms people use to identify themselves and their heritage. Many people who identify as Hispanic, Latino and Spanish do so to recognize their family’s origins and/or because they speak the Spanish language. But it's not uncommon to hear the terminology used interchangeably. That said, they do mean different things.
Whether those distinctions are brought up in conversation or your favorite Spanish-speaking show got your mind mulling it over, the difference between Hispanic, Latino and Spanish are important to learn because identifying people with the term they ask to be called is a sign of respect. The next time you hear these words getting mixed up, you can help illuminate their unique differences, making the world a kinder, more accepting place.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic describes a person who is from or has ancestors from a Spanish-speaking country or territory. There are roughly 62.5 million Hispanic people in the U.S., which makes up 19% of the total population, according to Pew Research Center findings reported in 2020. In 2019, Mexicans made up nearly 62% of Hispanics in the U.S., followed by Puerto Ricans and Cubans.
The definition of Hispanic excludes Brazil because Portuguese is the country's primary language, but it does include Spain. Globally, there are more than a dozen Hispanic countries and one territory: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The word Hispanic was first used by the U.S. government in the 1970s after Mexican-American and Hispanic organizations lobbied for population data to be collected. Subsequently, in 1976, Congress passed a law mandating information about U.S. residents from Spanish-speaking countries to be recorded. Today, Hispanic appears as an “ethnicity” on official forms for government, education and employment purposes.
Latino
Latino, Latina and Latinx are geographic terms, which refer to a person from Latin America or of Latin American descent. This includes Brazil, but excludes Spain. For the rest of the aforementioned countries, there’s a lot of crossover, because many Hispanics also call themselves Latino, Latina or the gender-neutral term Latinx, and vice versa. What’s more, the term Afro-Latino is often used to describe Latinx people with African ancestry.
The term Latino emerged in the 1990s as a form of resistance after scholars began "applying a much more critical lens to colonial history," according to Making Hispanics: How Activists, Bureaucrats, and Media Constructed a New American by UC Berkeley sociology professor G. Cristina Mora. Some opted not to use the word Hispanic because they believed it carried with it the heavy history of Spanish colonialism, enslavement and genocide. In 1997, Latino officially appeared on government documents as an option alongside Hispanic. Since 1980 and 2000, respectively, Hispanic and Latino have also become part of the U.S. Census.
Latinx, most commonly pronounced “Latin-EX," is a gender-neutral alternative to Latina and Latino. The intersectional term is useful for those in LGBTQ+ community who do not identify as either male or female. Though the term has been around for more than a decade, only 23% of Hispanics in the U.S. have heard of it, and only 3% identify as such, per a 2020 Pew Research Center report.
Spanish
The word "Spanish" refers to both a language and a nationality. A common mistake is calling a Spanish-speaking person Spanish. A person who speaks Spanish is Hispanic. A person who is from Spain or has family origins in Spain is Spanish.
The Romance language originated from Latin, and it was first spoken in Spain. Today, Castilian Spanish is the most popular dialect in the European country. Despite that fact, it actually ranks fourth in a list of countries with the most native Spanish speakers. Mexico, Colombia and Argentina all beat Spain for most native speakers.
Hispanics vs. Latinos vs. Spanish
A Hispanic person can also be Latino, Latina or Latinx but the designation doesn't universally apply. For example, an individual with ancestors from Spain can identify as Hispanic or Spanish because it's a Spanish-speaking country. But they likely would not call themselves Latinx because Spain isn't in Latin America.
Similarly, a person from Brazil may call themselves Latino, Latina or Latinx because the country is located in Latin America. But they probably won't identify as Hispanic or Spanish because Brazil's main language is Portuguese, not Spanish.
The key is, when in doubt, ask the person you're speaking with if they have a preference out of respect.
