Hispanic American and Latin American

The term Hispanic American refers to any inhabitant of the countries of Hispanic America, or a person of Hispanic ancestry who resides or is a citizen of the United States of America. “Hispanic” is a particular term that Richard Nixon’s administration came up with and is widely accepted by the country as a label for that group of people. Latino is also a term that is just as well-known, and is used alongside Hispanic, thus making the two words synonymous. However, Hispanic is very different from Spanish, because Spanish people (or Spaniards) are those who come directly from Spain.

A large majority of Hispanic Americans have Spanish ancestry, but there is also a significant number of Hispanics who are of mixed ancestries, usually consisting of Middle Eastern, European and American. It should be noted that most Hispanics can speak Spanish, but not all can. Also, not all Hispanics may have a Spanish surnames, and the inverse is also true: not everyone who has a Spanish surname is Hispanic. Filipinos often have Spanish surnames as well.

It is often said that the terms Hispanic and Latino are mutually distinct, but some say there are certain differences. Hispanic is the latin word for “Spain”, while “Latino” means Latin and thus refers to those of Latin American origin. However, for the most part, Latinos and Hispanics are seen as a collective group of people who happen to reside in America.

Latinos and Hispanics today are very much accepted and have their own place in American society, for most of them do see the United States as home.