<p>Entomom has it right, it is all about how you identify. With my son, it was a close call but we ultimately decided that Hispanic was definitely a part of his life even though his name did not “sound” Hispanic and he looked more European than Hispanic. He had a lot more identification than you, though. Family dinners every Sunday with (often) traditional ethnic food cooked by his Salvadoran grandmother. Many family members for whom English was a second language (my son and his father–my husband–are both fluent, I am the gringa!). It is not necessary that you speak Spanish, but I think it is a consideration in evaluating “how Hispanic” you are. Other things are hard to quantify–being taught that when you or an elder enter a room, YOU go to THEM and kiss their cheek. Extreme deference to the eldest generation (ours is the last survivor of the generation above my MIL–what she says is LAW!). Strong family ties, loud family parties with everyone talking at once, it can be crazy but a lot of fun! I’m not saying Anglos don’t have a lot of this, but having married into the family, this is my sense of what makes it Hispanic, very different from my upbringing.<br>
BTW, as for proof, we actually were required to prove the ancestry–my husband’s birth certificate reflects that his mother is Salvadoran, we had to bring that certificate and our son’s birth certificate to the Guidance Office before they would sign off on him for NHRP.</p>