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

Seneviratne, 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 Seneviratne surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Seneviratne in America

Seneviratne is the 73666th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Seneviratne surname appeared 263 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 Seneviratne.

We can also compare 2010 data for Seneviratne 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 Seneviratne

The surname Seneviratne is of Sri Lankan origin, derived from the Sinhala language. It is a compound name formed from the words "sena" meaning army or warrior, and "viratne" meaning leader or chief. The name likely originated in the medieval era of Sri Lankan history, when local chieftains and military leaders would take such titles as part of their names.

The earliest known records of the Seneviratne surname can be found in the Culavamsa, a historical chronicle of Sri Lanka written in the 13th century CE. One mention is of a certain Seneviratne who served as a general under King Parakramabahu II (1236-1271 CE). Another early record is from the 14th century Nikaya Samgraha, which refers to a Buddhist monk named Seneviratne Thera.

In the 16th century, during the Kandyan Kingdom period, there are references to several notable individuals bearing the Seneviratne name. These include Seneviratne Bandara, a courtier and advisor to King Vimaladharmasuriya I (1591-1604 CE), and Seneviratne Dissawa, a provincial governor under King Rajasinha II (1635-1687 CE).

One of the most famous historical figures with the Seneviratne name is Don Juan Seneviratne (1722-1798), a Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) noble and military commander who fought against the Dutch and British colonial forces. He was a key figure in the Kandyan resistance movement of the 18th century.

Another notable Seneviratne was Wilmot Abraham Seneviratne (1860-1939), a Ceylonese civil servant and historian who served as the Mudaliyar (headman) of Galle. He wrote several books on the history and culture of Sri Lanka, including a comprehensive work on the Sinhala language.

In more recent times, Jayanthi Seneviratne (1928-2022) was a prominent Sri Lankan artist and sculptor, known for her depictions of Buddhist themes and Sri Lankan cultural motifs. Her works are exhibited in museums around the world, including the National Museum of Sri Lanka.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Seneviratne

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

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

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

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