Show ContentsSen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Sen is an occupational name. It is derived from the Middle High German word "Sen," meaning "farmhand" or "milker of cows." The name was likely first borne by a farmhand, then passed down to his descendants as a surname.

Early Origins of the Sen family

The surname Sen was first found in Northern Switzerland, where the name Senn emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the canto of Aargau. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.

Early History of the Sen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sen research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1790, 1799, 1873 and 1881 are included under the topic Early Sen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sen Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sen, Senn and others.

Early Notables of the Sen family

Notables of the time with the surname Sen were

  • Jakob Senn (1790-1881), a Swiss painter, and Louis Senn (1799-1873), a physician


United States Sen migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Stephen Sen, who landed in Virginia in 1641 1
Sen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johannes Sen, aged 36, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 1
Sen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • G sen, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Sen (post 1700) +

  • Shaunak Sen (b. 1987), Indian filmmaker, video artist and film scholar. His documentary film on environmental issues, All That Breathes, won the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and the Golden Eye award for the best documentary at 2022 Cannes Film Festival. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
  • Doctor Sun Yat Sen (b. 1903), British artist


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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