Find out how popular the last name Senecal is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Senecal.

Senecal, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Senecal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Senecal in America

Senecal is the 12101st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Senecal surname appeared 2,575 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Senecal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Senecal to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Senecal

The surname Senecal originated in France, specifically in the region of Normandy, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "seneçal," which means "seneschal" or "steward."

In the Middle Ages, a seneschal was a high-ranking official responsible for managing the household affairs and overseeing the administration of a noble household or a feudal estate. The name Senecal likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who held this position.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Senescallus," indicating its Norman roots.

In the 13th century, records show a notable figure named Robert de Senecal, who was a knight and landowner in Normandy. Another early bearer of the name was Guilleaume Senecal, a merchant from Rouen, Normandy, who is mentioned in documents from the late 14th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, several members of the Senecal family played prominent roles in the French colonial efforts in North America. One such figure was Jacques Senecal, born in 1602 in Normandy, who became one of the first settlers in Quebec, Canada, in the 1630s.

Another notable individual was René Senecal, born in 1670 in Montreal, Canada, who was a renowned explorer and fur trader. He is credited with establishing several trading posts in the Great Lakes region and mapping out large areas of what is now the American Midwest.

In later centuries, the Senecal name continued to be associated with notable individuals, such as Louis-Adrien Senecal (1768-1827), a French-Canadian politician and judge, and Edouard Senecal (1828-1887), a Canadian lawyer and member of the Senate of Canada.

The surname Senecal has also been found in various spellings over the centuries, including Senechal, Sennecal, and Sennechal, reflecting the evolution of the French language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Senecal

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Senecal.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Senecal was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Senecal has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Senecal was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Senecal, please contact us.

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