Sanchez

Sánchez is a Spanish patronymic surname widespread in Spain and America. It derives from the name Sancho plus the patronymic ending -ez.

Etymology

Like other Hispanic surnames, it derives from the proper name Sancho plus the formative of familiar anthroponymics -ez, whose origin is disputed, and is probably similar to the Germanic -iks as in *Hrōþeriks 'Roderico, Rodrigo' (> Rodríguez), (modern English -ick, modern German -ich). It does not have any defined lineage, since it is a name and surname adopted massively by the people for different reasons. Consequently, there is no defined lineage for the surname Sancho and its origin is completely obscure. Although there were Kings of Galicia, Asturias, Navarra and Aragon named Sancho and their children were called Sánchez, they were always subject to a toponym, for example: Armando Sánchez de Gres, the toponym being "Gres" the one that went down in history as the name of a lineage.

Distribution

In Spain, it is widely distributed, most common in the provinces of Salamanca (6.42%), Ávila (4.008%), Cáceres (3.678%) and Albacete (3.588%); According to the INE, as of 01/01/2021 in Spain they carry the surname of Sánchez: 815,181 as a first surname, 825,024 as a second surname and 33,504 as both surnames.

Heraldry

Like other common patronymic surnames, it does not have a single common origin, and there are more than sixty different coats of arms of this name, depending on the area of origin and the family.

Toponym

• Sánchez Ramírez, province of the Dominican Republic.
• Province of Sanchez Carrion, province of Peru.