SANCHEZ Surname Meaning and Origin

Sanchez is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Sancto," derived from the popular medieval given name Sancho, meaning "sanctified," from the Latin sanctus.

Sanchez is the 8th most popular Hispanic surname and the 33rd most common surname in the United States.

Surname Origin: Spanish

Alternate Surname Spellings: SANCHES, SANZ, SAINZ, SAENZ, SAIZ, SAEZ, SANGUEZ, SANCHIZ 

Famous People With the Surname SANCHEZ

• Sonia Sanchez - American poet and playwright
• Oscar Arias Sánchez - former president of Costa Rica; Nobel Peace Prize winner
• Mark Sanchez - NFL football quarterback
• Rick Sanchez - Cuban American television anchor for CNN
• Francisco del Rosario Sánchez - founding father of the Dominican Republic

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Where Do People With the SANCHEZ Surname Live?

Surname distribution data at Forebears ranks Sanchez as the 92nd most common surname in the world, found most prevalently in Mexico where over 1.5 million people share the surname. It is the 2nd most common surname in Ecuador, 4th in Peru, and 5th in Panama, Andorra, and the Dominican Republic. Sanchez also ranks 7th in Spain, Venezuela, and Costa Rica, 8th in Mexico and Colombia, 9th in Nicaragua, and 10th in Argentina. Within Europe, Sanchez is actually found most frequently in the southern Pyrenees region of France, according to WorldNames PublicProfiler. In the United States, the name is most prevalent in the state of New Mexico.

Genealogy Resources for the Surname SANCHEZ

100 Most Common U.S. Surnames & Their Meanings
Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census?

100 Most Common Spanish Surnames
Have you ever wondered about your Spanish last name and how it came to be? This article describes common Spanish naming patterns and explores the meaning and origins of 100 common Spanish surnames.

How to Research Hispanic Heritage
Learn how to get started researching your Hispanic ancestors, including the basics of family tree research and country-specific organizations, genealogical records, and resources for Spain, Latin America, Mexico, Brazil, the Caribbean, and other Spanish speaking countries.

Sanchez Family Crest - It's Not What You Think
Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Sanchez family crest or coat of arms for the Sanchez surname. Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. 

Sanchez Family Genealogy Forum
Search this popular genealogy forum for the Sanchez surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Sanchez query.

FamilySearch - SANCHEZ Genealogy
Access over 7.7 million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Sanchez surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

SANCHEZ Surname & Family Mailing Lists
This free mailing list for researchers of the Sanchez surname and its variations includes subscription details and searchable archives of past messages.

DistantCousin.com - SANCHEZ Genealogy & Family History
Explore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Sanchez.

The Sanchez Genealogy and Family Tree Page
Browse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Sanchez from the website of Genealogy Today.

References: Surname Meanings & Origins

• Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.
• Dorward, David. Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.
• Fucilla, Joseph. Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.
• Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.
• Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.
• Reaney, P.H. A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.
• Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.