2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Senez
An occupational surname derived from the French word "sene", referring to a hemp worker or rope maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Senez. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Senez 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.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Senez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Senez, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.5%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Senez
The surname Senez is believed to have originated in the Languedoc region of southern France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "senez," meaning "elder" or "wise one," suggesting that the name may have initially been given to someone who was respected for their wisdom and experience.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Senez can be found in the Livre Terrier de Trets, a land registry from the 14th century that documented landowners and their properties in the village of Trets, located near Aix-en-Provence. This document mentions a certain "Pierre Senez" as a landowner in the region.
The name Senez is also closely associated with the town of Senez, located in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department of southeastern France. This town, which dates back to ancient Roman times, was once the site of a significant medieval bishopric, and it is possible that some early bearers of the surname Senez were connected to this religious center.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Jean Senez (1515-1589) was a French Protestant theologian and philosopher who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in France. He was a vocal critic of the Catholic Church and wrote several influential works defending the Protestant cause.
Another historical figure with the surname Senez was Jacques Senez (1658-1734), a French architect and engineer who was involved in the construction of several notable buildings in Paris, including the Palais-Royal and the Hôtel de Ville.
Moving forward in time, a prominent bearer of the Senez name was Auguste Senez (1838-1916), a French painter and illustrator who was known for his genre scenes depicting everyday life in Paris. His works are held in the collections of several major museums, including the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Reims.
In the 20th century, Pierre Senez (1907-1987) was a French actor and theater director who made significant contributions to the development of modern French theater. He founded the renowned Théâtre de la Huchette in Paris, which remains an important venue for avant-garde and experimental productions to this day.
While the surname Senez is not among the most common in France, it has a rich history and can be traced back to the medieval period in the southern regions of the country, where it likely originated as a descriptive name reflecting wisdom and age.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Senez
Among Census respondents with the surname Senez, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.5%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Senez 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 Senez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.6% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino12.5% · 14
- Two or more races6.3% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Senez
Senez appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+8 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,090 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.7%) | Up 8,090 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 Senez 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 | #156,044 | #147,954 | 5.2% |
| Count | 104 | 112 | 7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Senez bearers went from 104 to 112 (+7.7% change). The surname moved up 8,090 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #147,954.
FAQ
Senez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Senez?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Senez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Senez?
Senez ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Senez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Senez.
Has Senez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Senez went from 104 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 8 (+7.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Senez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Senez, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.5%) and Two or More Races (6.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Senez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.6% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Senez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.6%), Hispanic (12.5%), Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Senez (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 Senez mean?
An occupational surname derived from the French word "sene", referring to a hemp worker or rope maker. 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 Senez (0.04 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 Senez?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Senez, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.