2000
#8,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,495
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Senter
An English occupational surname denoting a maker or user of center-bits, or an English variant of Center or Saunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,709 Americans carry the last name Senter. That puts it at #9,606 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Senter 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Senter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,412
Census rank
#9,606
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,234 bearers of the surname Senter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9606th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Senter, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Senter
The surname Senter is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "cyntere," which referred to someone who lived near the center or middle of a town or village.
One of the earliest known references to the name Senter can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landholders in medieval England. The record mentions a Henry Senter who held land in Oxfordshire.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as Sentir, Sentre, and Sentyr, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings during that time period. The Senter family is believed to have originated in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire, where the name was most prevalent in its early years.
One notable figure from history bearing the Senter surname was Sir Walter Senter, a 15th-century English knight who served under King Henry V during the Hundred Years' War. He was present at the famous Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and later became a distinguished member of the Order of the Garter.
In the 16th century, the surname Senter can be found in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of 1524, which list several Senter families in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. One entry mentions a Thomas Senter from the village of Badminton in Gloucestershire.
During the 17th century, the name Senter began to spread beyond its traditional English heartlands, with records showing families bearing the surname in other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland.
In Scotland, one notable figure was Robert Senter, a 17th-century merchant and landowner from Aberdeenshire. He is recorded as having acquired significant landholdings in the area and played an influential role in local affairs.
As the centuries progressed, the Senter name continued to be found throughout the British Isles and, later, in various parts of the world as British emigrants and settlers carried the name to new lands.
Other notable individuals with the Senter surname include Sir William Senter, a 19th-century English politician and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire, and James Senter, a 20th-century American botanist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Senter
Among Census respondents with the surname Senter, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Senter 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 Senter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.8% · 2,645
- Black or African American9.7% · 314
- Two or more races4.5% · 147
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Senter
Senter 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
#9,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,602
+107 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 411 places
2020
#9,606
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,234
-368 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 532 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,663 | 3,495 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,074 | 3,602 | 1.22 | +107 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 411 places |
| 2020 | #9,606 | 3,234 | 1.08 | -368 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 532 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 Senter 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 | #9,074 | #9,606 | -5.9% |
| Count | 3,602 | 3,234 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.08 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Senter bearers went from 3,602 to 3,234 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 532 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,074 to #9,606.
FAQ
Senter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Senter?
Name Census estimates that about 3,709 living Americans carry the surname Senter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,412 residents.
How common is Senter?
Senter ranks #9,606 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,234 people with the surname Senter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,709), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Senter.
Has Senter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Senter went from 3,602 recorded bearers to 3,234. That is a decrease of 368 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,074 to #9,606.
What does the Census say about the background of Senter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Senter, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Senter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (2,645 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Senter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.8%), Black (9.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Senter (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 Senter mean?
An English occupational surname denoting a maker or user of center-bits, or an English variant of Center or Saunter. 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 Senter (1.08 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 last name Senter?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Senter, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.