The Hispanic/Latino naming dispute is an ongoing disagreement over the use of the ethnonyms "Hispanic" and "Latino" to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Latin American or Spanish origin—that is, Hispanic or Latino Americans. The usage of both terms has changed to adapt to a wide range of geographical and historical influences. The term "Hispanic" was used first; later, some Hispanics in the western United States came to prefer the term "Latino." The Census does not classify persons of Portuguese or Brazilian descent as Hispanic.