Mixed-blood

The term mixed-blood in the United States is more often employed for non-Hispanic individuals of mixed European and Native American ancestry, while mestizo is the term of choice for Hispanic individuals (whether US-born or immigrant) of that same mixed ancestry. Of the Hispanic-Americans who have lived in the southwestern United States for several generations prior to annexation and incorporation of that region into the United States, most have identified as racially white. Yet several others have classified themselves as mestizo, particularly those who also identify as Chicano. In addition, most Mexican-Americans descended from immigrants who arrived in the U.S. prior to and during the early 20th century are predominantly white. The most recent who arrived during mid-century until today have been mostly mestizo or Amerindian. Of the over 35 million Hispanics counted in the Federal 2000 Census, the overwhelming majority of the 42.2% who identified as "some other race" are believed to be mestizos. Of the 47.9% of Hispanics who identified as White Hispanic, many are thought to possess at least some Amerindian ancestry. Hispanics identifying as multiracial amounted to 6.3% (2.2 million) of all Hispanics and presumably included many mestizos. Renowned mixed-blooded persons in United States' history are many. One such example is Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, who guided the Mormon Battalion from New Mexico to the city of San Diego in California in 1846, and then accepted an appointment there as alcalde of Mission San Luis Rey. His father, Toussaint Charbonneau, was a French Canadian interpreter, and his mother Sacagawea was the Shoshone guide of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He can be found depicted on the United States dollar coin along with his mother, Sacagawea.

Mixed-blood is also used occasionally in Canadian writing to refer to the nineteenth century Anglo-Métis population.