Centennial was named after the Washington State centennial anniversary in 1989. Centennial arose from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) hop breeding program at Washington State University in 1974 and released in 1990. Its genetic composition is 3/4 Brewers Gold, 3/32 Fuggle, 1/16 East Kent Golding, 1/32 Bavarian and 1/16 unknown.