Sánchez is a very old surname that has been popularized in the various Spanish-speaking countries for more than 500 years. From its use in the Iberian Peninsula, many nobles, knights and even kings descended from this lineage. Some acquaintances were also conquerors and among the most prominent men of that time are Sancho Sánchez who acted in the conquest of Barbastro and the knights Lope Sánchez de Ogaure and Galindo Sánchez de Belchite who acted in the conquest of Zaragoza.
Is your last name Sánchez and would you like to know more about him? Next, in a HOWTO, we show you the Meaning and origin of the surname Sánchez and we also talk about his shield.
Sánchez is a very common surname in Spain and this was passed down from generation to generation, thus keeping the lineage and its origins alive. Also, this surname passed the oceanic borders due to the Spanish conquest of much of the American continent. The countries that adopted Spanish as a language also adopted most of their own names and surnames.
Another deeply rooted cultural expression in Spain for more than 500 years, specifically in the Middle Ages, was the creation of the coats of arms that identified each family. They did this in order to have a graphic symbol that would represent them on battlefields, in social circles, in games between warriors and countless other uses, as it was common at that time in Europe. Thus, the surname Sánchez also had his shield and, in fact, had several according to his origin or place in the family. If you want to discover more about the meaning of the family name Sánchez and his coat of arms, pay attention to the following lines:
Meaning of the surname Sánchez
Sánchez is a Patronymic surname derived from Sancho, a very popular proper name in the Iberian Peninsula since the Middle Ages, that is, the surname Sánchez means “son or descendant of Sancho”. This Christian name was introduced in Spain by the Romans as Sauco, who later became Sancho.
Sánchez, being a surname introduced by the Romans in the constant wars and conquests of the Middle Ages promoted by them, became very common and popular spreading through many regions of Spain without having ties or affinity with each other. However, it is said that the oldest Sánchez was the one that was established in Asturias in the 10th century.
Another meaning of Sánchez is that it comes from the Greek Sandez, which means “nobles”. Any subject who was granted a noble title in the kingdom of Aragon, gave him this surname.
Coat of arms for the Sánchez family name
One of the most representative shields of this family is a split one, where the first half is a field of gules (red background), a silver tower, and a star of the same metal. In the second half, in a field of sinople (green background), an armed arm bearing the legend “Ave María gratia Plena”.
However, each family founded in Spain with the surname Sánchez had its own shield. These are some of the Shields of the surname Sánchez:
- Sánchez from Malaga: Cut shield: The first half, on a silver field, a rampant saber lion and the second half on a silver field, two bands of azure.
- Sánchez de Alburquerque: Of azure, a castle of gold, added its homage of a white flag and lying of two boilers.
- Sánchez of Aragon: In gold, four sticks of gules. In chief, a silver lambel (piece of furniture).
- Sánchez de Castilla – La Mancha: Cut Shield: Party 1, in gules, a silver castle clarified with gules and south mounted with a star of the same metal. Party 2, in sinople, an arm armed with silver, moving from the sinister flank, which has in its hand a ribbon, also made of silver, with the motto: “Ave María Gratia Plena” in saber letters.
As many patronymic surnames that were formed in Spain, the surname Sánchez does not have a common origin. Sancho was used by illustrious men of notorious nobility located in different points of Spain such as Asturias, Galicia, La Rioja, Navarra, León, Valencia, among others and who formed their own offspring with the surname Sánchez. There are some theories about the origin of the surname Sánchez:
- There was an expert genealogist named García Alonso de Torres who was a chronicler of the Catholic Monarchs which in his manuscript called “Mirror of Nobility” assures that don Rodrigo Sánchez, descendant of the kings of Aragon, was the founder of this surname. His lineage transcended to the King García Sánchez I of Pamplona (King of Navarre).
- Another theory about the origin of the surname Sánchez, is that due to the persecution of the Catholic Monarchs towards Jewish immigrants in the Middle Ages, these to hide their true identities and nationalities, they adopted various surnames with “ez” endings, among which the surname Sánchez. Sánchez is believed to have originated from the priestly tribe of the Jewish people, descendants of the Aron line.
- Finally, another theory indicates that the surname originates when, in the 8th century, Spain was lost, the Goth knights took refuge in the mountains of Asturias, Vascongadas and the Pyrenees, to later begin the reconquest of the country, and that was when this surname originated.