the term "hispanic" as an ethnonym emerged in the 20th century, with the rise of migration of laborers from spanish-speaking countries of the western hemisphere to the united states. it includes people who may have been considered racially distinct (black, white, amerindian or other mixed groups) in their home countries. today, the word "latino" is often used as a synonym for "hispanic". even if such categories were earlier understood as racial categories, today they have begun to represent ethno-linguistic categories (regardless of perceived race). similarly, "anglo" is now used among many hispanics to refer to non-hispanic white americans or european americans, most of whom speak the english language but are not of primarily english descent.