Senita
A feminine given name of Spanish origin meaning "little saint".
Name Census estimates that about 148 living Americans carry the first name Senita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Senita today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Senita births was 1969 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Senita. 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
148
~ 1 in 2,315,908 Americans
Peak year
1969
13 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1990 SSA rank
#14,783
Tracked since 1953
Census
Senita in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 244 people with the first name Senita, which placed it at #33,765 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
#33,765
National first-name rank
People counted
244
244 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
61.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Senita
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Senita is Black at 61.1%. The next largest groups are White (21.7%) and Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Senita 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 Senita at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American61.1% · 149
- White21.7% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 15
- Two or more races3.3% · 8
Popularity
Senita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Senita from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 58 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Senita 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 Senita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Senita
The name Senita originated from the Nahuatl language, spoken by the Aztecs and other indigenous groups of central Mexico. It is derived from the word "sēnitl," which means "little girl" or "daughter." The name's roots can be traced back to the 14th century, during the height of the Aztec civilization.
Senita was a common name among the Nahuatl-speaking peoples, often given to newborn girls as a symbol of love and affection. It was also associated with the goddess Xochiquetzal, the Aztec deity of love, beauty, and fertility, who was revered for her maternal qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Senita can be found in the "Codex Mendoza," a 16th-century Aztec codex that documented the history and cultural practices of the Aztec people. This codex included a list of names commonly given to children, with Senita appearing among them.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Senita. One of the earliest was Senita Churubusco (1525-1589), a Mexican woman who played a crucial role in the defense of Churubusco during the Mexican-American War. Her bravery and leadership during the battle earned her recognition and a place in Mexican history.
Another prominent figure was Senita Carrillo (1837-1917), a Mexican-American activist and community leader in California. She worked tirelessly to preserve the rights and cultural heritage of Mexican Americans in the region, founding schools and advocating for their education and representation.
In the realm of art, Senita Romero (1892-1963) was a renowned Mexican painter and printmaker. Her vibrant depictions of everyday life and indigenous traditions earned her widespread acclaim, and her works are now part of prestigious collections worldwide.
Senita Quintanilla (1914-1998) was a Mexican-American educator and civil rights activist. She dedicated her life to improving educational opportunities for Hispanic students and promoting cultural diversity in the classroom. Her efforts paved the way for greater inclusivity and understanding in the American educational system.
Lastly, Senita Zapata (1941-2022) was a celebrated Mexican author and poet. Her poignant writings explored themes of identity, feminism, and the complexities of the human experience. She received numerous literary awards and accolades for her contributions to Mexican literature.
People
Senita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Senita 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
Senita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Senita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 148 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Senita 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 2,315,908 US residents.
Is Senita a common name?
We classify Senita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 166 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Senita most popular?
The single biggest year for Senita was 1969, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Senita is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Senita in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 244 people with the name Senita, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,765 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 Senita 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 Senita?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Senita leans strongly female. 238 people counted with this name were female (96.4%), compared with 9 male bearers (3.6%). 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 Senita?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Senita is Black at 61.1%. The next largest groups are White (21.7%) and Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Senita most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Senita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.1% (149 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 Senita in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Senita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Senita 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 Senita still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Senita 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 Senita 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 the name Senita?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.