What would "mulatto" mean?

Question:

What would "mulatto" mean?

I am doing my family tree, and for my great grandmother and great grandfather, they are both listed on the 1910 census as "mulatto". Does that mean they were of mixed race? I am having an extremely hard time finding any information on them, such as great grandmother's maiden name, and each of their parents, would this be because if they each had a white parent that this he or she would not have wanted to be affiliated with a mixed child? This was back in the mid 1800's.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: To give you something further to consider: Many people of American Indian ancestry and also those of Mediterranean ancestry, when mixed with white European ancestry, were called "Free Persons of Color" on many censuses done during the late 1700s to about 1870. This designation was often mistaken for "mulatto", a person whose heritage contained African ancestors. These people are usually not of mixed heritage with African ancestors, but to distinguish them from freed African slaves, this designation was begun. Most of these people are probably "Melungeon", and if you Google the word Melungeon, you will find many fascinating articles, theories, legends, and family stories about where these people might have originally come from. Good luck!