What Do You Call Someone From Ecuador? (Explained!)

Someone from Ecuador is called an Ecuadorian. The connection to the country may vary by individual, and there are of course many Ecuadorians living outside Ecuador who might identify one way or the other. Five major ethnic groups comprise the Ecuadorian population, and again any of these may feel the ethnic more than the national identity.

National identity is rarely a clear cut matter.

When it comes to a country as ethnically diverse as Ecuador, the question can become even more muddled.

Nonetheless, the simple answer is that someone who has their citizenship with Ecuador is an Ecuadorian.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What is the nationality of Ecuador?

The nationality of Ecuador is Ecuadorian.

A person of citizenship or descent from Ecuador is Ecuadorian, so whether they themselves live today in Ecuador or are a generational immigrant from Ecuador, they can be Ecuadorian either way.

There are many things that may be the connection between a person and Ecuador that causes them to call themselves Ecuadorian—it could simply be residential, it could be legal, historical, or cultural.

Either way, the word is Ecuadorian.

However, Ecuadorian demographics are a bit more complicated than this.

As mentioned, there are five primary ethnic groups that make up the Ecuadorian people.

The vast majority of Ecuadorians, around 70%, identify themselves as Mestizo.

Mestizo people can be found throughout Central and South America, and the term is an ethnic-racial classification for a person of mixed European and indigenous American heritage.

Most of the country’s population today are the descendants of Spanish immigrants and South American indigenous peoples, as well as admixtures of black slaves brought by Europeans.

Montubio is the next largest ethnic group at roughly 7.4% of the population.

Given that Ecuador’s censuses do not record ethnic affiliation, figures can only be taken as approximations.

The Montubio people were recognized as a distinct ethnicity in 2001 after lengthy protests, though they are broadly a mestizo people.

Other groups making up the rest of the population include Amerindian, European, and Afro-Ecuadorian, with minority populations making up a further roughly 0.4% of the population.

All of this is to say that, for many people in Ecuador, “Ecuadorian” may only be part of the picture of their identity.

They may first feel themselves to be Mestizo or Montubio before they would use the term Ecuadorian for their identity.

But when it comes to their internationally recognized nationality and citizenship, they are Ecuadorian.

Where does the name “Ecuador” come from?

The etymology of the name Ecuador is very simple.

The name simply means “equator” in Spanish, being truncated from República del Ecuador.

This was formerly part of the Ecuador Department of Gran Colombia, before 1824 a division of the Royal Audience of Quito.

Quito remains the nation’s capital to this day, and sits only around 25 miles away from the equator.

So, the Spanish simply named it after where it sat on the Earth’s surface.

Before the arrival of the Spanish, Ecuador was not really recognized as a homogenous state.

As was the case with many pre-conquest cultures including the Aztecs, Maya and Inca, what could be called city states ruled over various chunks of what would become modern day Ecuador.

Most of modern day Ecuador was incorporated into Tawantisuyu, or the Incan Empire, by the 16^th Century; again, though, this was really defined by the rulers and the people who lived there, rather than the geography.

Are Ecuadorians Hispanic or Latino?

Ecuador is both Hispanic and Latino; the terms are not mutually exclusive.

Hispanic means a person whose ancestry is from a Spanish speaking country.

Latino refers to a person with origins in Latin America, including Central and South America.

Thus, an Ecuadorian is a Hispanic in the sense that they come from a Spanish speaking country, and they are also a Latino in the sense that they come from Latin America.

Many countries in South and Central America are both Hispanic and Latino; Brazil is a good example of Latino nation which is not Hispanic, as the people speak Portuguese. Spain, on the other hand, is Hispanic but it is not Latino.

Ecuador, again, is both.

This is a common confusion that is easily cleared up.

Where do Ecuadorians live?

The total population of Ecuadorians in the world is around 18.5 million.

Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of these live in Ecuador itself—around 17.8 million.

However, the Ecuadorian diaspora also represents around 1.5 million people who live elsewhere in the world and thus may feel different things about their identities.

There are roughly 717,000 Ecuadorians living in the United States, making this the biggest concentration of Ecuadorians outside of Ecuador.

There are also around 444,000 Ecuadorians living in Spain, with the next highest population being 66,000 living in Italy.

Importantly, then, many Ecuadorians can be called such without living in the country.

Indeed, many of them may feel an equal kinship with the country they currently live in, and thus you see the difficulties of the questions of national identity.

So, Ecuador itself is very diverse and there are lots of different groups of people living there.

While all of them can be called Ecuadorian in one sense, there are also many natives to the country who may feel some other part of their identity, like their ethnicity, is more important to who they are.

Either way, if you are just concerned purely about what word you need to use for someone from Ecuador, then you’re just looking for Ecuadorian!

More in Demonyms

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

Was this article helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!