2000
#33
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 441,242
First available Census row
Per 100,000 163.57
Very Common Last name
Sanchez
A Spanish patronymic surname meaning "son of Sancho," derived from the Latin name "Sanctius," meaning "saintly" or "holy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 697,035 Americans carry the last name Sanchez. That puts it at #25 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 203.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 492 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sanchez surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sanchez with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
697K
1 in 492
Census rank
#25
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
203.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
608K
very common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 607,848 bearers of the surname Sanchez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 203.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanchez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sanchez
The surname Sanchez has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in Spain. It is derived from the ancient Roman name Sanctius, which was a personal name given to individuals born on a holy day or saint's day.
The earliest known record of the surname Sanchez dates back to the 9th century, during the Reconquista period in Spain. It was initially used as a patronymic name, meaning "son of Sancho," where Sancho was a common given name derived from Sanctius.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Sanchez can be found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that documented the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. The manuscript mentions several individuals with the surname Sanchez who were involved in the construction and maintenance of the pilgrimage routes.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Sanchez was particularly prevalent in the regions of Castile, Aragon, and Navarre. It was often associated with nobility and prominent families, such as the influential Sanchez de Lara family, who played a significant role in the politics of medieval Spain.
Rodrigo Sanchez, also known as El Cid (c. 1043-1099), was one of the most famous historical figures with the surname Sanchez. He was a Castilian nobleman and military leader who became a national hero for his exploits during the Reconquista.
Another notable figure was Sancho IV of Castile (c. 1258-1295), who ruled as King of Castile and León from 1284 until his death. He was known for his involvement in the conquest of the Strait of Gibraltar and for his efforts to strengthen the power of the monarchy.
In the realm of literature, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616), the renowned author of "Don Quixote," had the maternal surname Sanchez. His mother's family belonged to the minor nobility of Alcalá de Henares, Spain.
Tomás Sanchez (1551-1610) was a Spanish Jesuit priest and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of moral theology and ethics. He was a prominent figure in the School of Salamanca, a influential intellectual movement in the 16th and 17th centuries.
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the surname Sanchez was carried across the Atlantic and became widely dispersed throughout Latin America. Prominent figures with this surname include President Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo (1911-2002) of Mexico and Mario Sanchez (1958-2021), the renowned Nicaraguan singer and songwriter.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sanchez
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanchez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sanchez bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Sanchez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.4% · 561,478
- White5.2% · 31,353
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 6,965
- Black or African American0.5% · 3,195
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2,458
- Two or more races0.4% · 2,399
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sanchez
Sanchez appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#26
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 612,752
+171,510 bearers (+38.9%)
Per 100,000 207.73
Rank movement Up 7 places
2020
#25
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 607,848
-4,904 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 203.36
Rank movement Up 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33 | 441,242 | 163.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26 | 612,752 | 207.73 | +171,510 bearers (+38.9%) | Up 7 places |
| 2020 | #25 | 607,848 | 203.36 | -4,904 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 1 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Sanchez surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #26 | #25 | 3.8% |
| Count | 612,752 | 607,848 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 207.73 | 203.36 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sanchez bearers went from 612,752 to 607,848 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #26 to #25.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sanchez
FAQ
Sanchez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sanchez?
Name Census estimates that about 697,035 living Americans carry the surname Sanchez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 492 residents.
How common is Sanchez?
Sanchez ranks #25 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 203.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 203 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 607,848 people with the surname Sanchez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (697,035), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 203.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 203.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 203 of them to have the surname Sanchez.
Has Sanchez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sanchez went from 612,752 recorded bearers to 607,848. That is a decrease of 4,904 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #26 to #25.
What does the Census say about the background of Sanchez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanchez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sanchez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (561,478 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sanchez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.4%), White (5.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Sanchez (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Sanchez mean?
A Spanish patronymic surname meaning "son of Sancho," derived from the Latin name "Sanctius," meaning "saintly" or "holy." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Sanchez (203.36 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Sanchez?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.