For the Hispanic population of the United
States, see Hispanic and Latino Americans. For
other uses, see Hispanic (disambiguation).
Hispanic (Spanish: hispano, hispánico) is a term that historically denoted a relationship to the ancient Hispania
(geographically coinciding with the Iberian
Peninsula). During the modern era, it took on a more limited meaning, relating
to the contemporary nation of Spain.
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Still more recently, the term is used to describe the culture and people
of countries formerly ruled by Spain,
usually with a majority of the population having Spanish ancestry and
speaking the Spanish language. These include Mexico, the
majority of the Central and South
American countries, and most of the Greater
Antilles. There are also Spanish influences in the African nation of Equatorial Guinea,[1]
and the cultures of the Spanish East Indies' nations and territories,
the Philippines,
Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.[2] |
The term Hispanic is derived from Hispanicus,
which derived from Hispania (Iberian Peninsula), both of them Latin
terms. Hispania may in turn derive from Latin Hispanus
, or from Greek Hispania and Hispanos
, probably from Celtiberian[3] or from Basque
Ezpanna.[4]The words Spain, Spanish, and Spaniard
are of the same etymology as Hispanic, ultimately.[3]
Hispanus was the Latin name given to
a person from Hispania
during Roman
rule. In English, the term Hispano-Roman is sometimes used.[5] The Hispano-Romans were composed of people from many different tribes.[6]
Some famous Hispani (plural of Hispanus) were Seneca
the Elder, Seneca the Younger, Marcus Annaeus Lucanus, Martial, Prudentius, the Roman
Emperors Trajan
and Theodosius
I, and also Magnus Maximus and Maximus of Hispania.
Here follows a comparison of several terms related to Hispanic:
Prior to the marriage of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1469, the four
Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula, namely the Kingdom of Portugal, the Crown
of Aragon, the Crown of Castile, and the Kingdom of Navarre, were collectively referred
to as Hispania, the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. This usage in
the Middle Ages appears to have originated in Provençal,
and appears to be first documented at the end of the 11th century. In the Council of Constance, the four kingdoms shared
one vote.
Portugal adopted the word "Lusitanic",[12]
or "Lusitanian"
to refer to its culture and people, in reference to the Lusitanians, one of the first Indo-European tribes to settle in Europe. From
this tribe's name had derived the name of the Roman
province of Lusitania, which was a part of Roman province of Hispania,
and Lusitania
remains Portugal's name in Latin.
The expansion of the Spanish Empire between 1492 and 1898 brought
thousands of Spanish migrants to the conquered lands, creating a large
settlement that stretches all over the world and producing several multiracial
populations. The term Hispanic is sometimes applied to the populations
of these places. This is not necessarily so for people of Portuguese ancestry.
For instance, Portuguese Americans are not considered
"Hispanic" by the United States Census Bureau.
The terms Hispanic and Latino tend to
be used interchangeably in the United States for people with origins in
Spanish–speaking countries. Latino, from American
Spanish, is used in some cases as an abbreviation for latinoamericano
or "Latin American".[13]
In other Hispanophone countries, Hispanic
and Latino are not commonly used.
The 1970 Census was the first time that a
"Hispanic" identifier was used and data collected with the question.
The definition of "Hispanic" has been modified in each successive
census. The 2000 Census asked if the person was
"Spanish/Hispanic/Latino".[14]
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget
currently defines "Hispanic or Latino" as
"a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or
other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race".[15]
This definition excludes people of Portuguese origins, such as Portuguese
Americans or Brazilian Americans. However, they are included
in some government agencies' definitions. For example, the U.S. Department of
Transportation defines Hispanic to include, "persons of
Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Central or South American, or others
Spanish or Portuguese culture or origin, regardless of race."[16]
This definition has been adopted by the Small Business Administration as well
as many federal, state, and municipal agencies for the purposes of awarding
government contracts to minority owned businesses. Still, other government
agencies adopt definitions that exclude people from Spain, since there is
a distinct ethnic difference (indigenous American or European American). Some
others include people from Brazil, but not Spain or Portugal.