Basim
An Arabic name meaning "smiling" or "the one who smiles".
Name Census estimates that about 285 living Americans carry the first name Basim. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Basim today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Basim births was 2015 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Basim. 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
285
~ 1 in 1,202,647 Americans
Peak year
2015
12 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,524
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Basim: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Basim 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 72 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Basim remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Basim 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 Basim during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Basim
The name Basim originates from the Arabic language and culture, dating back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic root word "basama," which means "to smile" or "to be cheerful." The name is often associated with happiness, joy, and a positive outlook on life.
In the early days of Islam, the name Basim was not widely used, but it gained popularity during the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 CE). Several historical figures bore this name, including Basim al-Samman, a renowned Muslim scholar and theologian who lived in the 9th century CE.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Basim can be found in the writings of the famous Arab historian and writer, al-Tabari (838-923 CE). In his chronicles, he mentions a companion of the Prophet Muhammad named Basim ibn Qays al-Tamimi.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Basim. One such person was Basim ibn Ibrahim al-Samarqandi (d. 1041 CE), a Persian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of spherical trigonometry.
Another famous Basim was Basim al-Dimashqi (d. 1109 CE), a renowned Syrian scholar and physician who wrote extensively on medicine and pharmacology.
In the 13th century, Basim ibn Muhammad al-Husayni (d. 1269 CE) was a respected Islamic scholar and jurist from Baghdad, known for his work on Islamic law and jurisprudence.
During the Ottoman Empire, Basim Ahmed Pasha (1516-1567 CE) was a prominent military commander and statesman who served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1566 to 1567.
In more recent times, Basim Musallam (1930-1999) was a prominent Palestinian writer, poet, and academic who made significant contributions to Arabic literature and culture.
While the name Basim has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has gained popularity in various parts of the world and is now used by people of diverse backgrounds and ethnicities.
People
Basim + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Basim 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
Basim: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Basim?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 285 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Basim 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 1,202,647 US residents.
Is Basim a common name?
We classify Basim as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 292 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Basim most popular?
The single biggest year for Basim was 2015, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Basim is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Basim a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Basim 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.