Show ContentsSanchez History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The prestigious surname Sanchez originated in Spain. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in Spain were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. Spanish patronymic names emerged as early as the mid-9th century and the most common patronymic suffix is ez. The patronyms were derived from a variety of given names that were of many different origins. The name Sanchez is derived from the extremely popular medieval given name Sancho. This given name was originally derived from the Latin name Sanctius, a derivative of "sanctus." The name owes its popularity to the fact that it was borne by a 9th century martyr of Cordova.

Early Origins of the Sanchez family

The surname Sanchez was first found in Castile, where the name originated in Visigothic times.

Early History of the Sanchez family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sanchez research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1019, 1370, 1550 and 1610 are included under the topic Early Sanchez History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sanchez Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sánchez, Sanchez, Sans, Sanx, Sanz, Sainz, Sáenz, Saenz, Saiz, Sáez, Saez, Sánguez, Sanguez, Sánchiz and many more.

Early Notables of the Sanchez family

More information is included under the topic Early Sanchez Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sanchez World Ranking

In the United States, the name Sanchez is the 52nd most popular surname with an estimated 323,310 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Sanchez is ranked the 52nd most popular surname with an estimated 40,680 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Sanchez is the 10th popular surname with an estimated 271 people with that name. 3


United States Sanchez migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sanchez Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Gonzalo Sánchez Garzón, an early explorer of Argentina, in the 1560s
  • Catalina Sánchez, who immigrated to Mexico in 1560 with her sons Juan and Pedro
  • Anton Sánchez, who arrived in Colombia in 1560
  • Tello Sánchez, went to Chile in 1562
  • García Sánchez, who settled in Panama in 1563
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Sanchez Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Juan Manuel Sanchez, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1803 4
  • Justo Sanchez, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1803 4
  • Martin Sanchez, who arrived in America in 1810 4
  • Mateo Sanchez, who arrived in America in 1810 4
  • Teresa Sanchez, who landed in America in 1810 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Sanchez migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5
Sanchez Settlers in West Indies in the 16th Century
  • Diego Sánchez, settled in Cuba in 1561
Sanchez Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century
  • Bernardo Sanchez, who arrived in Dominican Republic in 1817 4
  • Gutierre Sanchez, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1835 4
  • Marcos Sanchez, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1835 4
  • Mari Sanchez, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1835 4
  • Elvira Sanchez, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1836 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Sanchez (post 1700) +

  • Salustiano "Shorty" Sanchez Blazquez (1901-2013), Spanish-born, American supercentenarian, the world's oldest living man
  • Poncho Sanchez (b. 1951), Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American conga player, Latin jazz band leader, and salsa singer considered one of the top American percussionists of our time
  • Frederick Phillip Sanchez (b. 1977), American Major League Baseball player
  • Loretta Sanchez (b. 1960), American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1997-)
  • Sonia Sanchez (b. 1934), American poet, playwright, essayist, and educator
  • Ricardo Sanchez (b. 1951), American Army Lieutenant General
  • Carlos Barrera Sánchez (1950-2022), Spanish politician, former member of the Aranese Democratic Convergence, he served as Sindic d'Aran from 1995 to 2007 and again from 2011 to 2019
  • José Muñoz Sánchez (1962-2019), Spanish politician who served as a Senator
  • Ignacio Calvo Sánchez (1864-1930), Spanish writer, clergyman and archaeologist
  • Manuel Rodríguez Sánchez (1917-1947), Spanish bullfighter also known as "Manolete"
  • ... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. "List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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