Sanchez Last Name Popularity, Meaning and Origin

In this article we'll look at the origin and meaning of the surname Sanchez and how popular it is in the United States. We'll also look at the race and ethnic origin of people in the United States who are named Sanchez.

Sanchez, like all of the names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sanchez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Unlocking Your Past (On Sale!)

Discover the untold stories of your family and feel the heartwarming connection to your ancestors.

My new eBook is a comprehensive guide to family history research that helps you turn the complex task of tracing your family tree into a manageable and rewarding journey.

Experience the joy of piecing together the puzzle using historical records, online tools, and DNA research and the pride of preserving these stories for future generations of your family!

Buy Now (50% Discount) →

What is the Origin and Meaning of the Last Name Sanchez?

The surname of Sanchez originates from Portugal and Spain where it derives from the common given name Sancho. Deriving from the Latin word sanctus, meaning blameless, Sancho as a given name likely originated during the country's time as part of the Roman Empire.

Spanish naming practices dictate that the addition of “ez” to the end of a given name creates the meaning of “son of.” In the case of Sanchez, the intended meaning is “son of Sancho." Throughout Catholic Europe, there are several given names that derive from sanctus which include Sanzio, Sans and of course Sancho.

The first recorded mention of the Sanchez surname days back to 1509 in the reign of King Ferdinand II. Alonso Sanchez de Copeda is recorded as living in the city of Alicante. Throughout the 16^th century numerous other bearers of this surname are recorded in records in Spain and Portugal.

Teresa of Ávila (28 March 1515 – 4 or 15 October 1582) was born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada in Avila, Crown of Castile (modern day Spain). Of noble birth, Teresa initially resisted her call to the church when she left her early education. It was a stay with her uncle that finally convinced her to join a convent. A big believer in silent prayer Teresa had an illustrious four-decade career which led to her being canonized 40 years after her death.

Francisco del Rosario Sánchez (March 9, 1817 – July 4, 1861) is considered one of the main leaders of the Dominican War of Independence. Hailed as a national hero Francisco was elected Commander in Arms and Chief of the Government Junta in 1844 at the start of the revolution.

Where Does Sanchez Rank in the Most Common U.S. Names?

According to the data, Sanchez is ranked #26 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

The Sanchez surname appeared 612,752 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 207.73 would have the surname Sanchez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sanchez to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

Race and Ethnic Origin of People with the Last Name Sanchez

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sanchez.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups: "White only", "Black only", "American Indian and Alaskan Native only", "Asian and Pacific Islander only", "Two or More Races", and "Hispanic".

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sanchez was:

• 4.98%, or 30,515 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic White Only".
• 0.45%, or 2,757 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic Black Only".
• 0.96%, or 5,882 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only".
• 0.37%, or 2,267 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native".
• 0.24%, or 1,471 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races".
• 92.99%, or 569,798 total occurrences, were "Hispanic Origin".

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sanchez has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data Source(s)

All of the data on this page is sourced from the Decennial Census survey, from the United States Census Bureau.

Link To or Reference This Page

We spent a lot of time downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!