Hispanic vs Latino
Hispanic vs Latino: There are many differences between Hispanic and Latino. A list of differences between Hispanic and Latino are given below:
| No. | Comparison Index | Hispanic | Latino |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) | Terminology: | Hispanic specifies a language. You will be called a Hispanic if your ancestry come from a Spanish speaking country. | Latino specifies geography. You will be called a Latino, if your ancestry come from a Latin American country. |
| 2) | In USA: | Hispanics were first adopted by USA government during the administration of Richard Nixon.It is included in US census since 1980. It is used more often in states of Florida and Texas. | This term is adopted by the government to identify and segregate the mixed white with black and native central and south Americans. |
| 3) | Origin: | This term is come from a Latin word. Hispania was used for Spain which later became “Espania”. It refers a Latin American or a Iberian who is fluent in Spanish. | This term is derived from Spanish latino Americano. |
| 4) | Usage: | This term was primarily used along the Eastern seaboard for Caribbeans and South American origin. | This term was used west of Mississippi and displaced Chicano and Maxican American. |
Hispanic vs Latino
Hispanics and Latinos are an ethno linguistic group of Americans who have the genealogical origins of Spain and Latin America. They include the 17% of US population who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino whether fully or partially. The Hispanics’ ethnicity share Spanish language and cultural heritage, rather than a race. Hispanic Americans are the second fastest growing ethnic group in USA after Asian Americans. They are also the oldest ethnic group inhabited in USA. Latino includes peoples of Portuguese speaking such as Brazil. Brazilians are the best example of Latinos.
Some people use the words Hispanic and Latino interchangeably. But these words are not same. Let’s take a look on the most important differences between them.
Hispanic specifies a language while, Latino refers to geography. In easy words, it can be said that if your ancestry come from a country who speak Spanish then you are Hispanic. On the other hand, you are Latino, if your ancestry come from Latin American country.
The very simple way to remember the differences between Hispanic and Latino is that “every Latino is the Hispanic but every Hispanic is not a Latino. But there are 200 million Brazilians, labeled as Latinos, and speak Portuguese, they are but not Hispanic.
Note:
- Not all Latin-Americans speak Spanish.
- Hispanic is a more inclusive term. It includes some Europeans also. For example: Spaniards.