2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Senita
Derived from a Spanish variant of the English surname "Scent", referring to a person involved in the trade or production of fragrances.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Senita. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Senita 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Senita in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Senita, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Senita
The surname SENITA is believed to have originated in Spain, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 15th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Spanish word "senita," which means a type of dried mushroom or fungus. This connection suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals involved in the cultivation or trade of these mushrooms.
In the town of Senit, located in the province of Alicante, Spain, there are records of families bearing the SENITA surname as early as the late 1400s. These early mentions can be found in various municipal archives and church records from the region. The name's prevalence in this specific area indicates that it likely originated from this town or its surrounding villages.
One of the earliest known individuals with the SENITA surname was Juan SENITA, a farmer and landowner who lived in the village of Senit in the early 16th century. Records from the local church parish show that he was born in 1512 and died in 1578. Another notable figure was Maria SENITA, a seamstress from the same village, born in 1543 and recorded as having lived until 1612.
As the SENITA name spread beyond its initial locale, it can be found in various historical records throughout Spain. For instance, in the 17th century, there are mentions of a Diego SENITA, a merchant from Seville, who traded goods with the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Additionally, a Pedro SENITA, born in 1679 in Madrid, was a renowned artist known for his religious paintings adorning several churches in the Spanish capital.
The SENITA surname also found its way to the New World, with records indicating that a Juana SENITA, born in 1721 in Seville, immigrated to the Spanish colony of Cuba in the mid-18th century. Her descendants continued to carry the name in the Caribbean region for generations.
While not as common as in Spain, the SENITA surname has also been documented in other parts of Europe, possibly due to migration patterns. For instance, in the 19th century, there are records of a family with the surname SENITA residing in the Italian city of Genoa, likely descended from Spanish ancestors who had settled in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Senita
Among Census respondents with the surname Senita, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Senita 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 Senita surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 101
- Two or more races7.9% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Senita
Senita 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,605 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,957 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 6,605 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Up 3,957 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 Senita 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 | #150,452 | #146,495 | 2.6% |
| Count | 109 | 114 | 4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Senita bearers went from 109 to 114 (+4.6% change). The surname moved up 3,957 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #146,495.
FAQ
Senita surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Senita?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Senita. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Senita?
Senita ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Senita. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Senita.
Has Senita become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Senita went from 109 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 5 (+4.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Senita?
Among Census respondents with the surname Senita, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Senita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Senita appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Two or More Races (7.9%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Senita (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 Senita mean?
Derived from a Spanish variant of the English surname "Scent", referring to a person involved in the trade or production of fragrances. 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 Senita (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 many people have the surname Senita?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.