2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sennhenn
A surname possibly derived from the German words "Senne" (a type of pasture) and "Henne" (hen), suggesting an occupational connection to poultry farming.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Sennhenn. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sennhenn 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Sennhenn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sennhenn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sennhenn
The surname SENNHENN has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "Senn" and "Henn," which refer to a herdsman or cowherd and a chicken or rooster, respectively. The name likely originated in rural areas where these occupations were common.
The earliest recorded instances of the SENNHENN surname can be found in baptismal records from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. In 1587, a Johann SENNHENN was documented in the village of Altdorf, near Nuremberg. Another early record mentions a Hans SENNHENN from the town of Zwickau in 1612.
While the SENNHENN name did not appear in notable historical manuscripts like the Domesday Book, it was likely present in local parish records and land registries of the time. Some variations in spelling, such as SENHENN or SENNHEHN, may have existed due to regional dialects and inconsistent record-keeping practices.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the SENNHENN surname was Georg SENNHENN, born in 1642 in the village of Rödental, near Coburg. He was a farmer and landowner, and his descendants continued to reside in the area for several generations.
Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Michael SENNHENN (1718-1795), a renowned clockmaker from the town of Schney, near Hof. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after and can still be found in various museums and private collections.
In the 19th century, a family of SENNHENN brewers gained prominence in the city of Munich. Friedrich SENNHENN (1801-1878) established the SENNHENN Brewery, which remained in operation until the early 20th century.
During the same period, a notable SENNHENN figure was the philosopher and writer Christoph SENNHENN (1832-1912), who was born in the village of Großenseebach near Bamberg. His works explored themes of existentialism and the human condition.
Lastly, Katharina SENNHENN (1872-1947) was a renowned painter from the town of Kulmbach. Her vibrant landscapes and depictions of rural life in Bavaria earned her recognition across Germany and beyond.
Throughout its history, the SENNHENN surname has remained primarily rooted in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, with some bearers migrating to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries in more recent times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sennhenn
Among Census respondents with the surname Sennhenn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sennhenn 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 Sennhenn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 105
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sennhenn
Sennhenn 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,887 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 13,887 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 3,182 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 Sennhenn 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 | #152,628 | #149,446 | 2.1% |
| Count | 107 | 110 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sennhenn bearers went from 107 to 110 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 3,182 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #149,446.
FAQ
Sennhenn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sennhenn?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Sennhenn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Sennhenn?
Sennhenn ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Sennhenn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Sennhenn.
Has Sennhenn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sennhenn went from 107 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 3 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Sennhenn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sennhenn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Sennhenn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sennhenn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Two or More Races (3.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Sennhenn (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 Sennhenn mean?
A surname possibly derived from the German words "Senne" (a type of pasture) and "Henne" (hen), suggesting an occupational connection to poultry farming. 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 Sennhenn (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 Sennhenn?
You can see how many people have the last name Sennhenn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.