The name "Seneca" comes from a Dutch word meaning "the ones who live farthest out," referencing their position in the Iroquois Confederacy. They called themselves "the people of the great hill," while the English later named them after a Roman philosopher.

As the largest group in the Six Nations, the Senecas first clashed with the French but later allied and traded with them. They fought alongside the French in the French and Indian War, including Braddock’s defeat. After the British victory, the Senecas joined Pontiac’s Rebellion but were forced to sign the 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix, ceding land. They sided with the British during the American Revolution, attacking frontier settlements. After the war, they were confined to a small reservation in western New York.

Today, several places in West Virginia bear their name.