Bassel
A masculine Arabic name meaning "brave" or "courageous".
Name Census estimates that about 286 living Americans carry the first name Bassel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bassel today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bassel births was 2013 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bassel. 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
286
~ 1 in 1,198,442 Americans
Peak year
2013
16 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,798
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Bassel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bassel from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 110 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bassel 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 Bassel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bassels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bassel
The given name Bassel originates from the Arabic language and culture. It has its roots in the Semitic word "basil," which means "brave" or "courageous." This name was particularly popular in the Middle East and North Africa during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Bassel can be found in the famous Arabic literary work, "The Book of Songs," written by the renowned poet Al-Mutanabbi in the 10th century AD. In this work, the name Bassel is mentioned as a symbol of bravery and strength.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Bassel. One of the most famous was Bassel Al-Asfouri, a renowned military commander who lived in the 12th century during the Ayyubid dynasty. He played a crucial role in defending the city of Damascus against the Crusaders and is often celebrated for his strategic brilliance and unwavering courage.
Another prominent figure with the name Bassel was Bassel Al-Aridi, a Syrian diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the 1960s. He played a significant role in shaping Syria's foreign policy during a turbulent period in the region's history.
In the realm of literature, Bassel Al-Hadithi was a renowned Iraqi poet and writer who lived in the 20th century. His poetic works, which often explored themes of love, patriotism, and social issues, have left a lasting impact on Arabic literature.
The name Bassel has also been carried by individuals in various fields, such as Bassel Khartabil, a Syrian software engineer and open-source software developer who made significant contributions to the web community before his tragic imprisonment and reported execution in 2017.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Bassel Al-Assad, the eldest son of the former Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad. He was considered a potential successor to his father but passed away in a car accident in 1994, leading to his younger brother Bashar Al-Assad becoming the next president.
People
Bassel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bassel 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
Bassel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bassel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 286 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bassel 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 1,198,442 US residents.
Is Bassel a common name?
We classify Bassel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 291 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bassel most popular?
The single biggest year for Bassel was 2013, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bassel is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bassel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bassel 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.