The article provides a list and few descriptions of famous Hispanic Americans. Few names given below are some of the well-known Hispanic Americans of the past.
The Hispanic Americans are those people with Spanish origin and who live in or are associated with America in some way or the other. In the United States of America, approximate population of Hispanic Americans is 46.9 million. Among all US ethnic groups, Hispanics are second only to American Indians in terms of population.
Renowned Hispanic Americans
The founding of St. Augustine city in Florida marked the beginning of Hispanic and Latino settlements in America. A short account of lives of Hispanic Americans from the past can be found in the paragraphs below.
Famous Hispanic Americans of the Past
Che Guevara
A multi-faceted personality, Che Guevara was primarily known as the Argentine Marxist revolutionary; he was also known by the name, El Che. He played an important role in overthrowing the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista of Cuba. Che Guevara joined the ’26th of July Movement’ led by Fidel Castro in order to depose the US-supported rule of Fulgencio Batista. He also played key roles in the smooth functioning of government after the Cuban revolution got over.
Hernando de Soto
He is known as one of the first conquistadors to find Mississippi river. Hernando de Soto also fought for the rights of migrant farm workers. The birth date and birthplace of this famous Hispanic American are not exactly known. Hernando de Soto was born in the year 1496/1497 (circa) and his place of birth could be Badajoz or Barcarrota in Spain. He died in the year 1542 in what is today’s Lake Village (Arkansas).
Dennis Chavez
One of the important Hispanic American personalities, Dennis Chavez is best known for his efforts to protect the rights of workers. He opposed the practice of discriminating workers on the basis or religion and race. The ‘Fair Employment Practices Commission’ too was established by Dennis Chavez.
List of Well-Known Hispanic Americans
The following list of some well-known Hispanic Americans is sub-divided into various sections on the basis of profession.
Writers and Poets
| Isabel Allende (Chile) | Rudolfo Anaya (Mexico) | Giannina Braschi (Puerto Rico) |
| Jimmy Santiago Baca (Mexico) | Sandra Cisneros (Mexico) | Fray Angelico Chavez |
| Junot Diaz (Dominican Republic) | Sandra Cisneros (Mexico) | Oscar Hijuelos |
| Francisco Goldman | David Unger (Guatemala) | Pablo Neruda (Chile) |
| Horacio Pena (Nicaragua) | Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia) | Christianne Meneses Jacobs (Nicaragua) |
Artists
| John August Swanson (Mexico) | Richard Serra | Antonio Roybal (Mexico) |
| Franck de Las Mercedes (Nicaragua) | Jean-Michel Basquiat (Haiti) | Jose Bernal |
| Judy Baca (Mexico) | Rita Verreos (Venezuela) | Nick Verreos (Venezuela) |
| Mario Vazquez (Puerto Rico) | Janu Tornell (Cuba) | Paloma Soto-Castillo (Chile) |
| Jesusita “Susie” Smith (Mexico) | Edgardo Rivera (Puerto Rico) | Monica Padilla (Puerto Rico) |
| Tito Ortiz (Mexico) | Jorge Nunez (Puerto Rico) | Danny Noriega (Mexico) |
| Cesar Millan (Mexico) | Lydia Morales (Puerto Rico) | Naima Mora (Mexico) |
| Oswald Mendez (Cuba) | Ashley Massaro (Cuba) | Cecilia Mansilla (Peru) |
| Oscar (Ozzy) Lusth (Mexico) | Lisette “Lisi” Linares (Cuba) | Marcus Lehman (Cuba) |
| Danny Jimenez (Cuba) | Allison Iraheta (El Salvador) | Adriel Herrera (Mexico) |
| David Hernandez (Mexico) | Jaslene Gonzalez (Puerto Rico) | Nathan Gonzalez (Cuba) |
| Kel Gleason (Peru) | Liliana Gomez (Mexico) | Virgilio “Billy” Garcia (Dominican Republic) |
| Jennifer Fuentes (Cuba) | Carolina Eastwood (Panama) | Sandra Diaz-Twine (Puerto Rico) |
| Jose “Pepi” Diaz (Cuba) | Tatiana Nicole del Toro (Puerto Rico) | Joe Cortez (Mexico) |
| Rodolfo (Rudy) Cardenas (Venezuela) | Jason Castro (Colombia) | Jessie Camacho (Puerto Rico) |
| John Paul (J.P.) Calderon (Costa Rica) | Christopher Badano (Uruguay) | Amanda Avila (Mexico) |
| David Archuleta (Honduras) | Alex Angarita (Colombia) | Trina (Dominican Republic) |
| Thalia (Mexico) | T-Bone (Nicaragua) | Taboo (Mexico) |
| South Park Mexican (Mexico) | Sheila E. (Mexico) | Shakira (Colombia) |
| Selena (Mexico) | Pitbull (Cuba) | Pee Wee (Mexico) |
| N.O.R.E (Puerto Rico) | MC Magic (Mexico) | Martika (Cuba) |
| Lumidee (Puerto Rico) | Lil Rob (Mexico) | La Lupe (Cuba) |
| La India (Puerto Rico) | Ivy Queen (Puerto Rico) | Mexico Frankie J |
| Fergie (Mexico) | Fat Joe (Puerto Rico) | Fabolous (Dominican Republic) |
| DJ Kane (Mexico) | DJ Flex (Panama) | Daddy Yankee (Puerto Rico) |
| Cuban Link (Cuba) | Chingo Bling (Mexico) | Chayanne (Puerto Rico) |
| Big Pun (Puerto Rico) | Baby Bash (Mexico) | Mexico B-Real (Cuba) |
| AZ (Dominican Republic) | Del Zamora (Mexico) | JR Writer (Dominican Republic) |
| Hype Williams (Honduras) | Carlos Vives (Colombia) | Julieta Venegas (Mexico) |
| Jaci Velasquez (Mexico) | Ritchie Valens (Mexico) | Robert Trujillo (Mexico) |
| Tony Touch (Puerto Rico) | Melody Thornton (Mexico) | Olga Tanon (Puerto Rico) |
| Abel Talamantez (Mexico) | Jon Secada (Cuba) | Gabe Saporta (Uruguay) |
| Gilberto Santa Rosa (Puerto Rico) | Gustavo Santaolalla (Argentina) | Juelz Santana (Dominican Republic) |
| Carlos Santana (Mexico) | Sonny Sandoval (Mexico) | Hope Sandoval (Mexico) |
| Michele Ruiz (Panama) | Paulina Rubio (Mexico) | Linda Ronstadt (Mexico) |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (Puerto Rico) | Albita Rodriguez (Cuba) | Gabriel Rios (Puerto Rico) |
| A.B. Quintanilla III (Mexico) | Tito Puente (Puerto Rico) | Carlos Ponce (Puerto Rico) |
| Chris Perez (Mexico) | Jennifer Pena (Mexico) | Karina Pasian (Dominican Republic) |
| Jeannie Ortega (Puerto Rico) | Don Omar (Puerto Rico) | Colby O’Donis (Puerto Rico) |
| Dave Navarro (Mexico) | Chris Montez (Mexico) | Chino Moreno (Mexico) |
| Christina Milian (Cuba) | Natalie Mejia (Mexico) | Ricky Martin (Puerto Rico) |
| S.A. Martinez (Mexico) | Cruz Martinez (Mexico) | Angie Martinez (Puerto Rico) |
| Victor Manuelle (Puerto Rico) | Demi Lovato (Mexico) | Jennifer Lopez (Puerto Rico) |
| Lisa Lopes (Honduras) | Olivia Longott (Cuba) | Adrianne Leon (Puerto Rico) |
| Hector Lavoe (Puerto Rico) | Jim Jones (Puerto Rico) | Melissa Jimenez (Mexico) |
| Vanessa Hudgens (Spain) | Marques Houston (Mexico) | Albert Hammond Jr. (Peru) |
| Lalo Guerrero (Mexico) | Luis Fonsi (Puerto Rico) | Aundrea Fimbres (Mexico) |
| Howie Dorough (Puerto Rico) | Kat DeLuna (Dominican Republic) | Zack de la Rocha (Mexico) |
| Paula DeAnda (Mexico) | Zack de la Rocha (Mexico) | Paula DeAnda (Mexico) |
| Ingrid Chavez (Mexico) | Celia Cruz (Cuba) | Nichole Cordova (Spain) |
| Willy Chirino (Cuba) | Vikki Carr (Mexico) | Mariah Carey (Venezuela) |
| Irene Cara (Cuba) | Ryan Cabrera (Colombia) | Ruben Blades (Panama) |
| Cedric Bixler-Zavala (Mexico) | Lloyd Banks (Puerto Rico) | Joan Baez (Mexico) |
| David Archuleta (Honduras) | Tom Araya (Chile) | Marc Anthony (Puerto Rico) |
| Tatyana Ali (Panama) | Christina Aguilera (Ecuador) | Jhonen Vasquez (Mexico) |
Sports Personalities
| Jorge Cantu (Mexico) | Frank Arellanes (Mexico) | Raffi Torres |
| Alberto Salazar | Paul Rodriguez Jr (Mexico) | Mexico Derek Parra |
| Roberto Guerrero | Mexico Pancho Gonzalez | Scott Gomez |
| Rudy Galindo | Stacy Peralta (Mexico) | Tony Alva (Mexico) |
| Benjamin Agosto | Rosa Mendes (Costa Rica) | Lillian Garcia (Puerto Rico) |
| Candice Michelle (Costa Rica) | The Bella Twins (Mexico) | Eve Torres (Nicaragua) |
| Jessica Martin (Mexico) | Enrique Torres (Mexico) | Jose Luis Jair Soria (Mexico) |
| Tito Santana (Mexico) | Rey Mysterio, Jr (Mexico) | Melina Perez (Mexico) |
| Gino Hernandez | Mando Guerrero (Mexico) | Hector Guerrero (Mexico) |
| Eddie Guerrero (Mexico) | Mexico Chavo Guerrero, Jr. | Nito Gomez |
| Aaron Aguilera (Mexico) | Martin Vasquez (Mexico) | Jose Francisco Torres (Mexico) |
| Tab Ramos (Uruguay) | Arturo Torres (Mexico) | Orlando Perez (Puerto Rico) |
| Shea Salinas (Mexico) | Jesus Padilla (Mexico) | Michael Orozco (Mexico) |
| Mike Munoz (Mexico) | Pablo Mastroeni (Argentina) | Antonio Martinez (Mexico) |
| Rodrigo Lopez (Mexico) | Freddy Juarez (Mexico) | Christian Jimenez (Mexico) |
| Daniel Hernandez (Mexico) | Brad Guzan | Diego Gutierrez (Colombia) |
| Sonny Guadarrama (Mexico) | Miguel Gonzalez (Mexico) | Herculez Gomez (Mexico) |
| Francisco Gomez (Mexico) | Jose Francisco Torres (Mexico) | Jorge Flores (Mexico) |
| Antonio de la Torre (Mexico) | Ramiro Corrales (Mexico) | Edgar Eduardo Castillo (Mexico) |
| Jose Burciaga Jr. (Mexico) | Jonathan Bornstein (Mexico) | Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Mexico) |
| Carlos Bocanegra (Mexico) | Ivan Becerra (Mexico) | Chris Armas (Puerto Rico) |
| Esteban Arias (Mexico) | Joey Villasenor (Mexico) | Cain Velasquez (Mexico) |
| Javier Vazquez | Charlie Valencia (Mexico) | Miguel Torres (Mexico) |
| Mia St.John (Mexico) | Frank Shamrock (Mexico) | Eddie Sanchez (Mexico) |
| Diego Sanchez (Mexico) | Manny Rodriguez (Mexico) | Hector Ramirez (Mexico) |
| Damacio Page (Mexico) | Tito Ortiz (Mexico) | Gilbert Melendez (Mexico) |
| Steven Lopez | Ruby Lopez | Mark Lopez |
| Diana Lopez | Juanito Ibarra (Mexico) | Roger Huerta (Mexico) |
| Leonard Garcia (Mexico) | Efrain Escudero (Mexico) | Nick Diaz (Mexico) |
| Nathan Diaz (Mexico) | Carlos Condit (Mexico) | Paul Buentello (Mexico) |
| Lorena Ochoa (Mexico) | Estoban Toledo (Mexico) | Camilo Villegas (Colombia) |
| Lee Trevino (Mexico) | Chi Chi Rodriguez (Puerto Rico) | Tony Lema |
| Nancy Lopez (Mexico) | Jose Cortez | Mark Sanchez (Mexico) |
| Tony Romo (Mexico) | Jim Plunkett (Mexico) | Anthony Munoz (Mexico) |
| Zeke Moreno | Max Montoya | J. P. Losman (Mexico) |
| Joe Kapp (Mexico) | Jeff Garcia | Tom Flores |
| Tom Fears (Mexico) | Tony Casillas | Raul Allegre |
| Guillermo Rigondeaux (Cuba) | Joel Casamayor (Cuba) | Kid Gavilan (Cuba) |
| Jose Napoles (Cuba) | Kid Chocolate (Cuba) | Yan Barthelemy (Cuba) |
| Yuriorkis Gamboa (Cuba) | Felix Trinidad (Puerto Rico) | Ivan Calderon (Puerto Rico) |
| Juan Manuel Lopez (Puerto Rico) | Edwin Rosario (Puerto Rico) | Hector Camacho (Puerto Rico) |
| Wilfred Benitez (Puerto Rico) | Wilfredo Gomez (Puerto Rico) | Miguel Cotto (Puerto Rico) |
| Fernando Vargas (Mexico) | Johnny Tapia (Mexico) | Mia St. John (Mexico) |
| John Ruiz (Puerto Rico) | Sergio Mora (Mexico) | Manuel Ortiz (Mexico) |
| David Obregon (Nicaragua) | Genaro Hernandez (Mexico) | Paul Gonzales (Mexico) |
| Delia Gonzalez (Mexico) | Roberto Garcia Cortez (Mexico) | Becky Garcia (Mexico) |
| Oscar De La Hoya (Mexico) | Genaro Hernandez (Mexico) | Robert Guerrero (Mexico) |
| Juan Diaz (Mexico) | Diego Corrales (Mexico) | Rocky Juarez (Mexico) |
| Bobby Chacon (Mexico) | Michael Carbajal (Mexico) | Orlando Canizales (Mexico) |
| Gaby Canizales (Mexico) | Paulie Ayala (Mexico) | Esteban Batista (Uruguay) |
| Carl Herrera (Venezuela) | Oscar Torres (Venezuela) | Trevor Ariza (Venezuela) |
| Horacio Llamas (Mexico) | Mark Aguirre (Mexico) | Earl Watson (Mexico) |
| Eduardo Najera (Mexico) | Felipe Lopez (Dominican Republic) | Luis Flores (Dominican Republic) |
| Charlie Villanueva (Dominican Republic) | Tito Horford (Dominican Republic) | Al Horford (Dominican Republic) |
| Francisco Garcia (Dominican Republic) | Daniel Santiago (Puerto Rico) | Ramon Rivas (Puerto Rico) |
| Peter John Ramos (Puerto Rico) | Jose “Piculin” Ortiz (Puerto Rico) | Butch Lee (Puerto Rico) |
| Guillermo Diaz (Puerto Rico) | Jose Juan Barea (Puerto Rico) | Carlos Arroyo (Puerto Rico) |
| Carmelo Anthony (Puerto Rico) | Robin Lopez (Cuba) | Brook Lopez (Cuba) |
| Rebecca Lobo (Cuba) | Lazaro Borrell (Cuba) | Gilbert Arenas (Cuba) |
| Andres Guibert (Cuba) | Al Cueto (Cuba) | Stuart Gray (Panama) |
| Ruben Garces (Panama) | Rolando Blackman (Panama) | Felipe Alou (Dominican Republic) |
| Juan Marichal (Dominican Republic) | Miguel Tejada (Dominican Republic) | Edwin Encarnacion (Dominican Republic) |
| Jose Reyes (Dominican Republic) | Alfonso Soriano (Dominican Republic) | Albert Pujols (Dominican Republic) |
| Michael Young | Fernando Vina | Mike Torrez |
| Freddy Sanchez | Rich Rodriguez | Anthony Reyes (Mexico) |
| Rudy Regalado (Mexico) | Horacio Ramirez | Omar Quintanilla |
| Carlos Quentin (Mexico) | Oliver Perez (Mexico) | Manny Parra |
| Jorge Orta (Mexico) | Alex Rodriguez (Dominican Republic) | Jesse Orosco |
| Sandy Nava (Mexico) | Carlos Muniz | Rafael Furcal (Dominican Republic) |
| Manny Ramirez (Dominican Republic) | Sid Monge (Mexico) | Buck Martinez |
| Evan Longoria (Mexico) | Andy LaRoche (Mexico) | Adam LaRoche (Mexico) |
| Keith Hernandez | Eddie Guardado | Adrian Gonzalez (Mexico) |
| Lefty Gomez (Mexico) | Nomar Garciaparra (Mexico) | Mike Garcia (Mexico) |
| Brian Fuentes (Mexico) | Andre Ethier (Mexico) | Johnny Estrada |
| Pat Corrales | David Ortiz (Dominican Republic) | Chad Cordero |
| Marvin Benard (Nicaragua) | Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico) | Eric Chavez (Mexico) |
Businessmen/women
| Hector Ruiz (Mexico) | Richard Velazquez (Puerto Rico) | Joseph A. Unanue (Spain) |
| Michele Ruiz | George Munoz | Arte Moreno (Mexico) |
| David Martinez (Mexico) | Maria Elena Lagomasino | Raul J. Fernandez (Cuba) |
| Roberto Goizueta (Cuba) | Michael Cordua (Nicaragua) | Ralph Alvarez (Cuba) |
Politicians and People in Government
| Mexico Ben Fernandez | Nydia Velazquez (Puerto Rico) | Frank Tejeda |
| Ken Salazar (Mexico) | Jose Serrano | Esteban Edward Torres (Mexico) |
| Ricardo Sanchez (Mexico) | Ileana Ros-Lehtinen | Bill Richardson (Mexico) |
| Lucille Roybal-Allard | Edward R. Roybal | Ed Pastor |
| Romualdo Pacheco (Mexico) | Solomon P. Ortiz (Mexico) | Antonia Novello |
| Melquiades Martinez | Rosario Marin (Mexico) | Joseph Montoya |
| Bob Menendez | Mel Martinez | Matthew G. Martinez |
| Manuel Lujan Jr. (Mexico) | Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo (Mexico) | Joseph Marion Hernandez |
| Henry B. Gonzalez (Mexico) | Alberto Gonzales (Mexico) | Ruben Garcia Jr. (Mexico) |
| Benigno C. Hernandez (Mexico) | David Farragut | Kika de la Garza (Mexico) |
| Lincoln Diaz-Balart | Henry Cisneros (Mexico) | Linda Chavez (Mexico) |
| Dennis Chavez (Mexico) | Roger Calero (Nicaragua) | Henry Bonilla (Mexico) |
| Claudia Bermudez (Nicaragua) | Xavier Becerra (Mexico) | David B. Barkley (Mexico) |
| Herman Badillo | Joe Baca (Mexico) | Cristobal Aguilar (Mexico) |
Journalists
| Elizabeth Vargas (Puerto Rico) | Ecuador Cecilia Alvear | Ray Suarez (Puerto Rico) |
| Pedro Sevcec (Uruguay) | Cristina Saralegui (Cuba) | Neyda Sandoval (Honduras) |
| Rick Sanchez (Cuba) | Lauren Sanchez (Mexico) | Ruben Salazar (Mexico) |
| Maria Elena Salinas (Mexico) | Michele Ruiz (Panama) | Maggie Rodriguez (Cuba) |
| Geraldo Rivera (Puerto Rico) | Birmania Rios (Dominican Republic) | Jorge Ramos (Mexico) |
| John Quinones (Mexico) | Satcha Pretto (Honduras) | Raul Peimbert (Mexico) |
| Soledad O’Brien (Cuba) | Natalie Morales (Puerto Rico) | Lynda Lopez (Puerto Rico) |
| Maria Hinojosa (Mexico) | Cork Graham (Ecuador) | Juan Gonzalez (Puerto Rico) |
| Giselle Fernandez (Mexico) | Patricio G. Espinoza (Ecuador) | Carmen Dominicci (Puerto Rico) |
| Jose Diaz-Balart (Cuba) | Luis de la Garza (Mexico) | Maria Antonieta Collins (Mexico) |
| Ilia Calderon (Colombia) | Barbara Bermudo (Puerto Rico) | Maria Celeste Arraras (Puerto Rico) |
Activists
| Carlos Cadena (Mexico) | Eugene Nelson | Lloyd Monserratt |
| Camilo Mejia (Nicaragua) | Angel G. Luevano (Mexico) | Nativo Lopez (Mexico) |
| Dolores Huerta (Mexico) | John J. Herrera (Mexico) | Rodolfo Gonzales (Mexico) |
| Gustavo C. Garcia (Mexico) | Hector P. Garcia (Mexico) | Angelo Falcon |
| Linda Chavez-Thompson (Mexico) | Cesar Chavez (Mexico) | Sal Castro |
The list of famous Hispanic Americans categorized as per the professions is quite exhaustive and includes as many names as possible. One would find this list useful from the point of studying the famous Hispanics further.
