Some families from Spanish‑speaking countries have lived in what is now the United States for many generations — in some cases, more than 10 generations, especially in places like New Mexico, Texas, California, and Florida that were part of the Spanish and later Mexican empires before becoming U.S. territory.

Very old Spanish‑speaking families

In regions that were colonized by Spain in the 1500s–1800s, some families have been living there for so many generations that they are often considered “founding” or “old” families, not recent immigrants.

  • Descendants of Spanish colonists in New Mexico and southern Colorado trace family roots back to the late 1500s and early 1600s, meaning some families have lived there for 12 to 14 generations.
  • In Florida, St. Augustine was founded in 1565, and some local families can trace their continuous presence in the area for over 10 generations.
  • In parts of Texas and California, families whose ancestors lived there under Spanish and Mexican rule (before those areas joined the U.S. in the 1800s) may have been in the U.S. for 8 to 10 generations.

More recent immigration patterns

In contrast, most Latino families in the U.S. today are immigrants or the children/grandchildren of immigrants, so their U.S. presence is much shorter.

  • First generation: Immigrants born in a Spanish‑speaking country and now living in the U.S.
  • Second generation: Born in the U.S. to at least one immigrant parent (one generation in the U.S.).
  • Third generation and beyond: Born in the U.S. to U.S.‑born parents; this group includes people whose families have lived in the U.S. for 3–5 generations or more , especially in states with large, long‑established Latino populations.

Generational mix in the U.S. today

Among all U.S. Latinos (Hispanic Americans), the mix of generations looks roughly like this:

  • A large share are still first or second generation (themselves or their parents were born abroad), especially in fast‑growing immigrant communities.
  • A significant portion are third generation or higher , meaning both parents were born in the U.S., and their family may have been in the country for 3–5+ generations.
  • In a few areas, especially in the Southwest, there are communities where families have been there for 5–10+ generations , long before the U.S. existed as a nation in those places.

So, to answer directly: some families from Spanish‑speaking countries have lived in the U.S. for over 10 generations , while many others have been in the country for 1–3 generations , and the U.S. population as a whole shows this wide generational range.