Spaniard Ancestry in United States
Spanish Americans are Americans who have full or partial Spanish ancestry*. People of Spanish ancestry form an important group in several countries in North and South America.
In the United States census of 2020, 2.5 million people identified as being fully or partly of Spanish ancestry. According to the 2020 US Census, 995,583 (0.30%) identified as Spanish Americans or of Spaniard ancestry*.
*Term “Spanish American” is used only to refer to Americans whose self-identified ancestry originates directly from Spain, and excludes Americans whose Spanish ancestors immigrated to Latin America first before coming to the United States.
read about Hispanic or Latino Americans
Top States with Spanish Population
Top states with the largest “Spaniard” ancestry
# | State | Total population | % of Total |
1 | Texas | 220,730 | 19.22% |
2 | Florida | 156,658 | 13.64% |
3 | California | 120,236 | 10.47% |
4 | New York | 88,831 | 7.74% |
5 | North Carolina | 64,936 | 5.66% |
Source: US Census 2020
Spanish Ancestry in Americas
People of Spanish ancestry form an important group in several countries in North and South America. The Spanish diaspora is concentrated in places that were part of the Spanish Empire. According to the estimates, there were 290 million people of full or partial Spanish ancestry in the Americas.
American Countries with sizeable populations are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, and, to a lesser extent, Brazil, Belize, Haiti, United States, and Canada.
Let’s have a look at Countries having significant Spanish ancestry
Country | Hispanic population | % of country |
Mexico | 105,700,000 | 80 |
Colombia | 39,000,000 | 86 |
Argentina | 26,000,000 | 65 |
Venezuela | 25,079,923 | 90.1 |
Peru | 18,600,000 | 60 |
Chile | 15,623,289 | 88.9 |
Cuba | 10,050,849 | 88.9 |
Dominican Republic | 9,589,388 | 88 |
Guatemala | 8,739,917 | 51 |
Brazil | 8,000,000 | 4.2 |
El Salvador | 6,058,769 | 93 |
Nicaragua | 5,350,074 | 91 |
Bolivia | 4,780,000 | 43 |
Costa Rica | 3,344,000 | 83.6 |
Puerto Rico | 3,064,862 | 80.5 |
United States | 2,389,841 | 0.8 |
Uruguay | 1,000,000 | 80 |
Spanish Canadians
Spanish Canadians are Canadians who have full or partial Spanish ancestry. Spanish Canadians account for about 1.15% of the total population of Canada. According to the Canadian Census 2020, there were 396,460 people of Spanish descent in Canada.
read more about Spanish population in Canada
Spanish Mexicans
Spanish Mexicans are Mexicans who identify as Spanish as a result of nationality or ancestry. Spanish immigration to Mexico began in the early 1500s and spans to the present day. The vast majority of Mexicans have at least partial Spanish ancestry; the Northern regions of Mexico have a higher prevalence of Spanish heritage.
About 85% (100 million) of Mexican population is of at least partial Spanish descent. According to 2020 Census, the Spanish in Mexico number about 20,763 Spaniards (born in Spain) and 144,553 Spanish nationals.
The largest population of Spanish descent are located in Mexico Valley, Puebla-Veracruz region, Bajío region, Guadalajara Valley, Altos de Jalisco, Northern region and Riviera Maya, where they make up the largest proportion of the Spanish population.
Large populations are found in the states like Mexico City, Mexico State, Veracruz, Puebla, Jalisco, Nuevo León, Aguascalientes, Durango, Guanajuato, Querétaro, and Chihuahua. Also, Northern Mexico is inhabited by millions of Spanish descendants.
Source: 2020 estimates
Spanish Brazilians
Spanish Brazilians are Brazilians who have full or partial Spanish ancestry. Spanish immigration was the third largest among immigrant groups in Brazi. Brazilian censuses do not research “ethnic origins” or ancestry, which makes it very difficult to give accurate numbers of Brazilians of Spanish descent.
According to the estimates and surveys, there were 10 million people of Spanish descent in Brazil.
The Brazilian states with significant Spanish population are mainly Southeastern Brazil (particularly São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro).
Source: estimates
Spanish Argentines
Spanish Argentines are Argentines who have full or partial Spanish ancestry. Between the 15th and 19th centuries, the Spanish Empire was the sole colonial power in the territories that became Argentina. Thus, before 1850, the vast majority of European settlers in Argentina were from Spain. A substantial Spanish descended Criollo population gradually built up in the new cities, while some mixed with the indigenous populations (Mestizos), with the Black African-descended slave population (Mulattoes) or with other European immigrants.
Since a great portion of the immigrants to Argentina before the mid-19th century were of Spanish descent, and a significant part of the late-19th century/early-20th century immigrants to Argentina were Spaniards, the large majority of Argentines are at least partly of Spanish ancestry.
According to the estimates and surveys, there were 20 million Spanish descendants (including those of mixed or partial Spanish descent)
Source: estimates