The Centeno surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 14,510 people carried this name — #2,488 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 20,300 people counted. That is up 42% from 10,188 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Centeno surname

From Latin centenus (“one-hundred”). The surname likely arose as an occupational surname for someone who grew or worked with rye, based on a notion at the time that one stalk would produce one-hundred grains of rye.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Centeno» (Spanish), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 13,282 people named Centeno live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 3,455
Córdoba 1,851
Tucumán 1,249
Salta 741
City of Buenos Aires 688
Catamarca 627
Mendoza 562
Jujuy 458

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

59 people named Centeno live in Switzerland.

They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Geneva 19
Zurich 15
Vaud 14
Aargau 5
Thurgau 3
Ticino 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 28 people named Centeno.

Most of them — 22 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often Côte-d’Or.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 22
Côte-d’Or 2
Haute-Garonne 2
Paris 1
Tarn-et-Garonne 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In print

Centeno in American newspapers,
1927–1928.

Newspaper page from The Washington Times carrying the name Centeno
The Washington Times 1927-08-08
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Centeno
Evening Star 1927-08-02
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Centeno
Evening Star 1928-12-10

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,449 pages in all carry the name.

Who carried it

People named Centeno,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Diego Centeno
    Diego Centeno 1514–1549 · explorer
  • Pedro Centeno
    Pedro Centeno 1730–1803 · theologian
  • María Ana Centeno Sotomayor
    María Ana Centeno Sotomayor 1816–1874 · collector
  • Juan Centeno Sotomayor d. 1899 · politician
  • Joaquín de Olivares y Centeno 1712–1777 · sailor
  • Anselmo Centeno 1780– · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Centeno,
in the records of 3 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States308 records

308 records of the Centeno name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 204
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 49
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 41
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 4
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 4
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John R. Centeno

    Born 1915. Enlisted 1941 at New York City; cook from New York County, New York. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1996, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Charles Manuel Centeno

    Born 1943; from Gilroy, California. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1966 in South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Santiago Centeno

    U.S. Army veteran of World War I. Born 1897, died 1982; buried at Puerto Rico National Cemetery, Puerto Rico.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 308 records for Centeno in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Centeno name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Adele Bertha Centeno

    Married in 1910 in Rotterdam. Died 1956 in Rotterdam, aged 71.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Johanna Louise Centeno

    In a population register.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Centeno in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France3 records

3 records of the Centeno name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Ana Antonia Centeno

    Born 1936 in Morocco; died 2001 in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marthe Emilienne Centeno

    Born 1929 in Semur-en-Auxois (Côte-d'Or); died 1991 in Chalon-sur-Saône (Saône-et-Loire).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Maria Ramona Centeno

    Born 1924 in Merida (Vénézuéla); died 2001 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Centeno.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Centeno is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Centeno volume
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