Senai
A name of Tamil origin meaning "summer jasmine".
Name Census estimates that about 309 living Americans carry the first name Senai. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 56.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Senai today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Senai births was 2017 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Senai. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
309
~ 1 in 1,109,237 Americans
Peak year
2017
24 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,697
Tracked since 1990
Census
Senai in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 345 people with the first name Senai, which placed it at #26,793 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#26,793
National first-name rank
People counted
345
345 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
81.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Senai
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Senai is Black at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Senai described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Senai at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.7% · 282
- Hispanic or Latino10.7% · 37
- Two or more races4.6% · 16
- White2.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Senai
Senai is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 312 total registrations, 136 (43.6%) were male and 176 (56.4%) were female.
Senai as a male name
- Ranked #9,697 in 2024
- 8 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2010 (13 births)
Senai as a female name
- Ranked #11,946 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2006 (14 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Senai on both sides of the split. Of the 351 people counted with this name, 211 were male (60.1%) and 140 were female (39.9%).
Popularity
Senai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Senai from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 140 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Senai remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Senai by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Senai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Senais live
Origin
Meaning and history of Senai
The given name Senai has its origins in the Tamil language, which is spoken primarily in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. The name Senai is believed to have derived from the Tamil word "senai," which means "army" or "military force."
In ancient Tamil literature, such as the Sangam period texts dating back to the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE, there are references to warriors and military leaders who may have borne this name. The name Senai was likely associated with strength, courage, and leadership qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Senai can be found in the 7th century CE, when a Tamil chieftain named Senai Kuttan ruled over a region in present-day Tamil Nadu. He is celebrated in local folklore for his bravery and military exploits.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Senai. In the 12th century, Senai Nayakkar was a prominent military commander who served under the Chola dynasty, one of the longest-ruling dynasties in southern India.
During the 16th century, Senai Mudaliaar was a Tamil poet and scholar who made significant contributions to Tamil literature. His works were widely acclaimed for their literary merit and philosophical depth.
In the 18th century, Senai Malai Mudaliar was a prominent Tamil merchant and philanthropist who established several educational institutions and charitable organizations in Tamil Nadu.
Another noteworthy figure was Senai Kumaran, a Tamil freedom fighter who lived in the early 20th century. He played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement and was known for his unwavering patriotism and dedication to the cause of freedom.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the name Senai who have left their mark on history, showcasing the rich cultural heritage and significance associated with this ancient Tamil name.
People
Senai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Senai as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Senai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Senai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 309 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Senai going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,109,237 US residents.
Is Senai a common name?
We classify Senai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 312 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Senai most popular?
The single biggest year for Senai was 2017, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Senai is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Senai in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 345 people with the name Senai, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #26,793 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Senai in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Senai?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Senai on both sides of the split. Of the 351 people counted with this name, 211 were male (60.1%) and 140 were female (39.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Senai?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Senai is Black at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Senai most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Senai in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (282 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Senai in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Senai a female name?
Yes, 56.4% of people registered as Senai in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Senai still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Senai in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Senai can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Senai as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.