Basheer
Arabic name meaning "bearer of good news" or "one who brings glad tidings".
Name Census estimates that about 212 living Americans carry the first name Basheer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Basheer today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Basheer births was 1991 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Basheer. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
212
~ 1 in 1,616,766 Americans
Peak year
1991
14 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,583
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Basheer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Basheer from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 76 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Basheer by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Basheer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Basheers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Basheer
The name Basheer has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, tracing its roots back to the 7th century AD. It is derived from the Arabic word "bashir," which means "bringer of good news" or "bearer of glad tidings." The name is closely associated with the Islamic faith and is often given to boys as a reminder of the importance of spreading joy and positivity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Basheer can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. In the Quranic verse 2:119, the word "bashir" is used to describe prophets who were sent as messengers of good news to their respective communities. This association with the prophets and the concept of delivering glad tidings has given the name a strong spiritual and religious significance in the Islamic world.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Basheer. One of the earliest and most prominent was Basheer ibn Sa'd, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and a renowned military leader who lived in the 7th century AD. Another notable figure was Basheer al-Khuri, a Syrian poet and writer who lived from 1908 to 1957 and was known for his contributions to modern Arabic literature.
In the realm of science, Basheer Ahmad Malik (1934-2009) was a Pakistani physicist and academic who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kashmir and was a recipient of the prestigious Sitara-e-Imtiaz, one of Pakistan's highest civilian honors.
The name Basheer has also been associated with political figures, such as Basheer Ahmad Sayeed (1935-2015), an Indian politician and former member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament. He was a prominent leader of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference party and served as the Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs in the state government.
Another notable figure bearing the name Basheer was Basheer Gemayel (1947-1982), a Lebanese politician and military commander who served as the President-elect of Lebanon. Tragically, he was assassinated shortly before taking office, and his untimely death had a significant impact on the political landscape of Lebanon during the civil war.
As the name Basheer has spread across various cultures and regions, it has taken on different spellings and variations, such as Bashir, Basheer, or Basheer. However, its core meaning and association with the concept of delivering good news and glad tidings have remained consistent throughout its history.
People
Basheer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Basheer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Basheer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Basheer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 212 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Basheer going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,616,766 US residents.
Is Basheer a common name?
We classify Basheer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 216 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Basheer most popular?
The single biggest year for Basheer was 1991, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Basheer is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Basheer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Basheer in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.