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 102688th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sanchez surname appeared 175 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 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 Shanchez originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to be a variant spelling of the more common Spanish surname Sanchez, which is derived from the ancient Roman name Sanctius. Sanctius is a Latin name meaning "holy" or "saintly," and it was often given to children born on the feast day of a saint.

In the 8th century, the Moorish invasion of Spain led to the Arabization of many Spanish names, including Sanctius. The name evolved into the Spanish form Sancho, which was a popular name among the nobility and ruling classes of medieval Spain. The surname Sanchez emerged as a patronymic, meaning "son of Sancho."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Shanchez appears in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. This manuscript, dating back to the 11th century, mentions a certain "Domingo Shanchez" as a witness to a land transaction.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Rodrigo Shanchez de Arévalo was a Spanish historian, theologian, and diplomat who served as the Bishop of Oviedo and later as the Bishop of Palencia. He was born around 1404 and died in 1470.

Another prominent individual with the surname Shanchez was Pedro Shanchez de Acre, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. He played a crucial role in the exploration and settlement of the Caribbean islands.

During the 16th century, a woman named María Shanchez de Madariaga gained notoriety as one of the first female writers and poets in Spain. She was born in Valladolid around 1530 and published a collection of poems titled "Jardín de Flores Divinas" in 1608.

In the 17th century, Juan Shanchez de Avilés was a Spanish military officer and explorer who founded several settlements in what is now the state of Georgia in the United States. He was born around 1620 and played a significant role in the Spanish colonization efforts in North America.

While the surname Shanchez is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history rooted in the Iberian Peninsula and has been carried by notable individuals throughout the centuries.

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.

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