2000
#4,746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,825
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.53
Rare Last name
Sena
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "sena," meaning a sign, standard, or banner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,446 Americans carry the last name Sena. That puts it at #4,672 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,582 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sena surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sena with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.4K
1 in 40,582
Census rank
#4,672
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,365 bearers of the surname Sena in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4672nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.2%. The next largest groups are White (32.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sena
The surname SENA has its origins in Italy, where it can be traced back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Latin word "sena," which means "old" or "ancient." This suggests that the name may have originally been used to refer to someone who was elderly or from an old family.
The earliest recorded instances of the SENA surname come from the region of Tuscany in central Italy. In the 13th century, there are references to the SENA family in the town of Siena, one of the most important cities in medieval Tuscany. The name appears in various documents from this period, including tax records and property deeds.
One notable historical figure with the SENA surname was Marco da Siena, a 14th-century painter and sculptor. He was born in Siena around 1320 and is best known for his contributions to the Camposanto Monumentale, a famous cemetery in Pisa adorned with frescoes by several renowned artists of the time.
Another significant individual was Alessandro Sena, a 16th-century physician and philosopher from Naples. He wrote several works on medical topics and was a proponent of the scientific method in his approach to studying the natural world.
In the 17th century, there are records of a SENA family living in the town of Bagnoregio, located in the province of Viterbo, north of Rome. One member of this family, Francesco Sena, was a renowned architect who designed several churches and other buildings in the region.
During the 19th century, the SENA surname gained prominence in the field of literature. Giovacchino Sena, born in Naples in 1811, was a poet and playwright who wrote in both Italian and Neapolitan dialect. His works often explored themes of social injustice and the struggles of the working class.
Another notable figure was Umberto Sena, an Italian philosopher and writer born in Turin in 1891. He was a member of the Futurist movement and contributed to various avant-garde literary journals and publications during the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sena
Among Census respondents with the surname Sena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.2%. The next largest groups are White (32.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sena bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Sena surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino60.2% · 4,435
- White32.0% · 2,355
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 242
- Black or African American2.1% · 151
- Two or more races1.7% · 125
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sena
Sena appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,597
+772 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Up 77 places
2020
#4,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,365
-232 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,746 | 6,825 | 2.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,669 | 7,597 | 2.58 | +772 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 77 places |
| 2020 | #4,672 | 7,365 | 2.46 | -232 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 3 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Sena surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,669 | #4,672 | -0.1% |
| Count | 7,597 | 7,365 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.58 | 2.46 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sena bearers went from 7,597 to 7,365 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,669 to #4,672.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sena
FAQ
Sena surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sena?
Name Census estimates that about 8,446 living Americans carry the surname Sena. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,582 residents.
How common is Sena?
Sena ranks #4,672 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,365 people with the surname Sena. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,446), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Sena.
Has Sena become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sena went from 7,597 recorded bearers to 7,365. That is a decrease of 232 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,669 to #4,672.
What does the Census say about the background of Sena?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.2%. The next largest groups are White (32.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.2% (4,435 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sena appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (60.2%), White (32.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Sena (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Sena mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "sena," meaning a sign, standard, or banner. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Sena (2.46 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Sena?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Sena on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.