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

Sénéchal, 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 Sénéchal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sénéchal in America

Sénéchal is the 38484th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sénéchal surname appeared 575 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Sénéchal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sénéchal 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 Sénéchal

The surname Senechal originated in medieval France, specifically in the northern regions of Normandy and Brittany. It derives from the Old French word "seneschal," which means "steward" or "chief officer of a noble household." The name's origins can be traced back to the 11th century.

The Senechal surname has its roots in the feudal system of medieval Europe, where seneschals were important officials responsible for managing the affairs of a noble's household, estates, and judicial matters. They held a position of significant authority and trust within the noble's court.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Senechal name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners in England after the Norman Conquest. This suggests that individuals with this surname may have accompanied William the Conqueror to England from Normandy.

In the 12th century, a notable figure bearing the Senechal surname was Girart Senechal, a French troubadour and poet from Clermont-Ferrand. He was active around 1170 and is known for his lyric poetry compositions.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Jean Senechal, a French composer and music theorist who lived from circa 1415 to 1480. He was associated with the Burgundian School of composers and served as a priest in the Diocese of Cambrai.

During the 16th century, a famous Senechal was Hugues Senechal, a French Protestant theologian and writer who was born around 1520 in Normandy. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movement in France.

In the 17th century, Michel Senechal (1628-1685) was a notable French painter and engraver from Lyon. He specialized in portraiture and was known for his depictions of the French aristocracy.

Another notable figure was Louis Senechal (1669-1724), a French architect and engineer who contributed to the design and construction of several notable buildings in Paris, including the Palais Royal and the Grand Trianon at Versailles.

The Senechal surname has evolved over time, with variations in spelling appearing in different regions, such as Seneschal, Sénéchal, and Sénécal. These variations often reflect local dialects and linguistic influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sénéchal

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

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 Sénéchal 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 Sénéchal 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 Sénéchal was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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