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

Sanchez, 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 Sanchez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sanchez in America

Sanchez is the 26th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

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 208 people 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.

The history of the last name 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.

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:

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 Sanchez 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 Sanchez 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 Sanchez was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources 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!