Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1977

Seneca

Gender Unisex · 50% girls Rank 2025 #4,343 Trend → Stable
Rank 2025
#4,343
among girls · ↑932 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
49
named Seneca · +7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 48,705
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1977
219 babies
All-time total
3,523
#5,121 all-time among girls
First recorded
1956
in Social Security records

Seneca popularity over time

3,523 babies have been named Seneca since 1956, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s 48 – 48 5 – #2,266
1960s 21 – 21 2 -56% #3,188
1970s 185 520 705 71 +3257% #2,296
1980s 298 481 779 78 +10% #2,059
1990s 340 142 482 48 -38% #2,449
2000s 401 300 701 70 +45% #3,217
2010s 289 212 501 50 -29% #4,227
2020s (to 2025) 184 102 286 48 -5% #4,005

Where Seneca is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 34 0.02 outside top 500
2027 34 0.02 outside top 500
2028 35 0.02 outside top 500
2029 35 0.02 outside top 500
2030 35 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Seneca

Seneca is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #4,343 in 2025 with 33 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1956, 3,523 American babies have been named Seneca, about 50% girls and 50% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1977, when 219 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Seneca stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Seneca?

The median living Seneca is about 30 years old; half are between 17 and 45. An estimated 3,400 people named Seneca are alive in the United States today.

median 30 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Seneca year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 33 #4,343 16 #5,808
2024 25 #5,275 21 #4,853
2023 26 #5,105 16 #5,878
2022 29 #4,777 20 #4,989
2021 37 #4,005 12 #7,029
2020 34 #4,150 17 #5,422
2019 15 #7,664 23 #4,453
2018 34 #4,227 24 #4,328
2017 25 #5,316 22 #4,571
2016 33 #4,419 30 #3,667
2015 33 #4,394 18 #5,254
2014 28 #5,010 20 #4,837
2013 29 #4,868 20 #4,769
2012 30 #4,817 11 #7,462
2011 31 #4,662 17 #5,392
2010 31 #4,716 27 #3,885
2009 39 #4,004 27 #3,898
2008 40 #3,996 26 #4,015
2007 40 #3,968 41 #2,914
2006 52 #3,217 34 #3,210
2005 39 #3,796 29 #3,439
2004 42 #3,557 29 #3,357
2003 45 #3,284 26 #3,510
2002 29 #4,366 31 #3,007
2001 38 #3,536 27 #3,307
2000 37 #3,583 30 #2,980
1995 53 #2,449 9 #6,325
1990 34 #3,280 15 #3,935
1985 26 #3,391 29 #2,007
1980 51 #2,059 147 #724
1975 15 #4,316 7 #4,703
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 16 #3,188 – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Seneca

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Seneca the Younger Seneca the Younger Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman and dramatist (c. 4 BC–AD 65) -4–65 · Antiquity
  2. 2 Seneca the Elder Roman scholar, writer and historian (c. 54 BC – c. AD 39) -54–39 · Antiquity

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Seneca, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Seneca?

The median living Seneca is about 30 years old. Half of all living Senecas are between 17 and 45 years old.

How many people named Seneca are alive today?

An estimated 3,400 people named Seneca are alive in the United States, based on 3,523 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Seneca in 2025?

Seneca ranked #4,343 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 33 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Seneca?

3,523 babies have been named Seneca in the United States since 1956, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Seneca most popular?

Seneca peaked in 1977, when 219 newborns received the name.

Is Seneca a boy or girl name?

Seneca is used for both: about 50% of babies named Seneca have been girls and 50% boys.

Is the name Seneca rising or falling?

Seneca has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Seneca become more popular?

Seneca is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 35 girls named Seneca in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Seneca?

Well-known people named Seneca include Seneca the Younger (philosopher), Seneca the Elder (writer).

Names like Seneca

Names that sound and feel close to Seneca: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Seneca with similar names → More names starting with S →