NameCensus.

UK surname

Senter

An English occupational surname denoting a maker or user of center-bits, or an English variant of Center or Saunter.

In the 1881 census there were 88 people recorded with the Senter surname, ranking it #21,211 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 223, ranked #18,222, up from #21,211 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hanley Castle, Worcester St John Bedwardine, Kenswick and King's Lynn St Margaret. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include King's Lynn and West Norfolk and Worcester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Senter is 237 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 153.4%.

1881 census count

88

Ranked #21,211

Modern count

223

2016, ranked #18,222

Peak year

2013

237 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Senter had 88 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,211 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 223 in 2016, ranked #18,222.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 128 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Senter surname distribution map

The map shows where the Senter surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Senter surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Senter over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 93 #17,946
1861 historical 116 #18,751
1881 historical 88 #21,211
1891 historical 128 #20,393
1901 historical 128 #19,822
1911 historical 128 #19,664
1997 modern 200 #17,618
1998 modern 210 #17,600
1999 modern 211 #17,662
2000 modern 215 #17,388
2001 modern 216 #17,103
2002 modern 229 #16,771
2003 modern 225 #16,808
2004 modern 233 #16,471
2005 modern 214 #17,378
2006 modern 212 #17,612
2007 modern 212 #17,803
2008 modern 211 #17,997
2009 modern 214 #18,220
2010 modern 222 #18,148
2011 modern 212 #18,575
2012 modern 235 #17,242
2013 modern 237 #17,423
2014 modern 234 #17,662
2015 modern 226 #17,995
2016 modern 223 #18,222

Geography

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Where Senters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hanley Castle, Worcester St John Bedwardine, Kenswick, King's Lynn St Margaret, Elmham, North and Leigh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to King's Lynn and West Norfolk and Worcester. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Hanley Castle Worcestershire
2 Worcester St John Bedwardine, Kenswick Worcestershire
3 King's Lynn St Margaret Norfolk
4 Elmham, North Norfolk
5 Leigh Worcestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 007 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
2 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 010 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
3 Worcester 009 Worcester
4 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 012 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
5 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 014 King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Senter

These lists show first names that appear often with the Senter surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Senter

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Senter, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Senter surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Senter household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

City Support Workers

Within London, Senter is most associated with areas classed as City Support Workers, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered throughout Inner London, these areas house relatively few workers in the most senior roles within organisations, and greater prevalence of administrative roles relative to the Supergroup mean. Residents are less likely to be of Chinese ethnicity and are more likely to have been born in Africa. Relative to the Supergroup average, residents are also more likely to live in social housing and live in overcrowded conditions.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Senter is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Senter falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Senter is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Senter, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Senter families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Senter surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Norfolk leads with 39 Senters recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.55x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 39 29.55x
Worcestershire 23 20.52x
Middlesex 10 1.17x
Surrey 7 1.67x
Midlothian 4 3.48x
Aberdeenshire 2 2.52x
Buteshire 1 19.23x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.84x
Kent 1 0.34x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kings Lynn St Margaret in Norfolk leads with 16 Senters recorded in 1881 and an index of 404.04x.

Place Total Index
Kings Lynn St Margaret 16 404.04x
Bransford 9 11250.00x
Battersea 7 22.17x
Dersingham 7 2333.33x
Leigh 7 514.71x
Islington London 6 7.21x
Sedgeford 5 2272.73x
Dodderhill 4 833.33x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 4 8.65x
Drayton 3 2500.00x
Hockham 3 2000.00x
Norwich St James 3 288.46x
Warndon 3 6000.00x
Hunstanton 2 444.44x
Kildrummy 2 1052.63x
St George Hanover Square 2 13.23x
Cumbrae 1 181.82x
Elythe College 1 3333.33x
Feltham 1 116.28x
Greenwich 1 7.32x
Kensington London 1 2.10x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Senter surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Elizabeth 5
Emma 3
Hannah 3
Mary 3
Caroline 2
Eliza 2
Elizth. 2
Leah 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Ann 1
Annie 1
Catherine 1
Dora 1
Eleanor 1
Ellen 1
Esther 1
Florance 1
Florence 1
Georgina 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Malinder 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Sarah 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Senter surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 10
George 4
William 4
Henry 3
Charles 2
Francis 2
Harry 2
James 2
Thos. 2
Albert 1
Alec 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Martin 1
Thomas 1
Wilfred 1
Willm. 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Senter households.

FAQ

Senter surname: questions and answers

How common was the Senter surname in 1881?

In 1881, 88 people were recorded with the Senter surname. That placed it at #21,211 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Senter surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 223 in 2016. That gives Senter a modern rank of #18,222.

What does the Senter surname mean?

An English occupational surname denoting a maker or user of center-bits, or an English variant of Center or Saunter.

What does the Senter map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Senter bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.