Being Hispanic: When identity goes beyond language and last name

The Hispanic population in the United States reached 70 million people in 2025, according to an analysis published by Pew Research Center, which examines how the Hispanic population in the country is defined, counted and identified.

The Pew Research Center notes that there is no simple answer to the question of who is Hispanic. The definition depends on how institutions count this population, how people understand their racial and ethnic identity and whether those of Hispanic ancestry identify as Hispanic.

The federal definition states that Hispanic people can be of any race, because Hispanic is considered an ethnic category rather than a racial one.

The federal government began asking the entire U.S. population about their Hispanic origin in the 1980 Census. Changes were subsequently introduced, such as the inclusion of the term "Latino" in the 2000 Census question.

Most identify by their country of origin

Pew research shows that the terms used to describe Hispanic identity vary considerably.

According to the survey, 53% of Hispanics say they describe themselves primarily by their country of origin, either alone or in combination with "American." Meanwhile, 27% use pan-ethnic terms such as Hispanic, Latino, Latinx or Latine, also either alone or combined with "American." Another 18% describe themselves primarily as American.

When asked which term they prefer to describe the Hispanic or Latino population in general, 54% chose "Hispanic," while 30% opted for "Latino" and 14% said they had no preference. Pew notes that relatively few prefer the terms "Latinx" or "Latine."

Speaking Spanish is not considered essential

The study also addresses some of the elements that people consider necessary to be identified as Hispanic.

In 2022, 78% of Hispanics said that speaking Spanish is not necessary to be considered Hispanic. This proportion was higher among those who spoke primarily English: 93%, compared with 64% among those who spoke primarily Spanish.

The survey also found differences based on family background. In 2019, 33% said that having two Hispanic parents was not an important part of what it means to be Hispanic, while 34% considered it important but not essential and 32% said it was essential.

In addition, 84% noted that a person does not need to have a Spanish last name to be considered Hispanic.

The racial identity of Hispanics

Data from the 2024 American Community Survey show differences in how Hispanics identify racially.

The Pew Research Center notes that 23.4 million single-race Hispanics selected the "some other race" category. Most listed a Hispanic origin or nationality, such as Mexican, Latin American or Hispanic. Another 11.9 million selected "white."

At the same time, 29.4 million Hispanics were identified as belonging to more than one race in 2024, a figure higher than that of any single-race group.

Pew notes that much of the growth in the multiracial Hispanic population is likely related to changes introduced in the 2020 Census, including new fields to describe racial or ethnic origins and modifications to the Census Bureau's coding decisions.