Teriminologie

The most commonly-used definition of Asian American is the Census Bureau definition of Asian, largely because the Census definitions determine many government classifications, notably for equal opportunity programs and measurements. East Asia, Southeastern Asia, and most of Southern Asia are included in the Census definition of Asia. Ethnic groups with very small populations in the U.S. (e.g., Afghans, Uzbeks, and Siberians) are not counted separately, and currently are not included in the Asian category, while people with origins from the Asian Middle East are included in the white Census group. The use of a separate "Asian" category in the Census is a recent addition, beginning in 1990. Since then, the Census definitions have varied over time. Most notably with the 2000 census separated Asian/Pacific Islander and moved Pacific Islander ethnicities into a separate racial group.

Earlier Census forms from 1980 and before listed particular Asian ancestries as separate groups along with White and Black or Negro. But the 1980 census marked the first general analyses of Asians as a group, combining several individual ancestry groups into "Asian or Pacific Islander." By the 1990 census, Asian or Pacific Islander (API) was included as an explicit category, although respondents had to select one particular ancestry. People of Middle Eastern ancestry are categorized in the white census category rather than Asian.

Finally, the definition of Asian American also has variations that derive from the use of the word American in different contexts. Immigration status, citizenship, acculturation, and language ability are some variables that are used to define American for various purposes and may vary in formal and everyday usage. For example, restricting American to include only U.S. citizens conflicts with discussions of Asian American businesses, which generally refer both to citizens and non-citizens. In other cases, American refers to people either born, raised, or currently living in the United States. The census is a notable--if implicit--example of this definition of American, since the census counts all people regardless of citizenship or immigration status.