Sanchez surname meaning

Sanchez is Spanish for "son of Sancho." The -ez ending is the classic Castilian "son of" marker, the same pattern as Rodríguez or Hernández. Sancho was a popular medieval Iberian given name; once surnames froze, Sánchez marked descent from a man so called.

Portuguese cousins often appear as Sanches. US Census records usually drop the accent (Sanchez), but the meaning matches Sánchez. It is a parent's-name surname, not a place or a trade. Unrelated Sánchez lines can share the spelling without one shared ancestor.