Find out how popular the last name Sanches is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sanches.

Sanches, like all of the last 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 Sanches surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sanches in America

Sanches is the 4500th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sanches surname appeared 7,883 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Sanches.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sanches 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.

The history of the last name Sanches

The surname Sanches is of Spanish origin, derived from the patronymic form of the personal name "Sancho," which is believed to have originated from the Latin name "Sanctius," meaning "sacred" or "holy."

The name Sanches first appeared in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages, particularly in the regions of Castile, Aragon, and Navarre. It gained prominence as a prominent family name among the Spanish nobility and aristocracy.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Sanches surname can be found in the Cartularios de Valpuesta, a collection of medieval documents from the 11th century, where the name appears as "Sancio" or "Sancius."

In the 13th century, during the reign of King Alfonso X of Castile (1221-1284), the name Sanches was associated with several notable individuals, including Rodrigo Sanches, a renowned poet and troubadour, and Gonzalo Sanches, a prominent military commander.

Another notable figure bearing the Sanches surname was Tomás Sanches, a Spanish astronomer and mathematician from the 16th century (1551-1625), who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and the study of comets.

In the literary realm, Miguel Sanches, a Spanish writer and poet from the 17th century (1594-1667), gained recognition for his works, particularly his religious poetry and devotional literature.

The Sanches surname also has a notable presence in Portuguese history, with individuals like João Sanches, a 14th-century Portuguese explorer and navigator (c. 1330-1395), who played a crucial role in the exploration of the Atlantic Ocean and the discovery of the Canary Islands.

Other historical figures with the Sanches surname include Tomás Sanches de Ávila, a Spanish theologian and educator from the 16th century (1490-1553), who served as the rector of the University of Salamanca, and Francisco Sanches, a Portuguese philosopher and physician from the 16th century (1551-1623), known for his contributions to skepticism and empiricism.

While the Sanches surname has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries and communities with Spanish and Portuguese heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sanches

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

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:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

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

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 Sanches has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sanches was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sanches, please contact us.

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