Description

SPANNAME identifies persons with Spanish surnames, based on comparisons of surnames with lists of Spanish surnames. In 1970, the Census Bureau used Spanish surname as one means of identifying Spanish Americans.

Comparability

For 1960-1970, SPANNAME is available only for persons living in five Southwestern states; for earlier years, it is available for all persons. For 1880, 1900, 1920, and 1940-1950, users can restrict the sample to these states, using STATEICP or STATEFIP. This is not possible for 1850, because Arizona and Colorado are not identifiable in that year.

The list of Spanish surnames used for comparison was shorter (about 8,000 names) in 1960-1970 than in earlier years and in 1980 (about 12,000 names). Thus, some people identified as having a Spanish surname in years other than 1960-1970 would not have been so identified in 1960-1970. See also SPAN95.

In 1940 and 1950, persons with the surnames Martin, Roman, Santos, or Silva (which commonly occur in both Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations) were coded as having Spanish surnames if they or at least one of their parents were born in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, or Venezuela.

Note: The list of Spanish surnames used in years other than 1960-1970 is in the "1980 Census List of Spanish Surnames," available from the Census Bureau upon request. (See also J. Passel and D. Word, Constructing a List of Spanish Surnames for the 1980 Census: An Application of Bayes' Theorem, 1980.)

Universe

Availability

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• 2003: --
• 2002: --
• 2001: --
• 2000: --
• 1990: --
• 1980: All samples
• 1970: All samples
• 1960: All samples
• 1950: 1%
• 1940: All samples
• 1930: 1%; 5%
• 1920: 1%
• 1910: 1%; 1.4% ovrsmp
• 1900: 5%; 1%; 1.2% ovrsmp
• 1880: 1%; 10%
• 1870: 1%; 1.2%
• 1860: 1%; 1.2%
• 1850: 1%

• 2023: --
• 2022: --
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• 2019: --
• 2018: --
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• 2012: --
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• 2009: --
• 2008: --
• 2007: --
• 2006: --
• 2005: --
• 2000: --
• 1990: --
• 1980: --
• 1970: --
• 1930: --
• 1920: --
• 1910: --

Flags

Editing Procedure

There is no editing procedure available for this variable.