Basya
A feminine Hebrew name meaning "daughter of God" or "devoted to God".
Name Census estimates that about 988 living Americans carry the first name Basya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Basya today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Basya births was 2024 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Basya. 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
988
~ 1 in 346,917 Americans
Peak year
2024
44 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,508
Tracked since 1962
Popularity
Basya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Basya from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 288 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Basya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Basya 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 Basya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Basyas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Basya
The name Basya is believed to have originated from the Russian language, derived from the Greek name Basileios, meaning "kingly" or "royal." It has been in use since the Middle Ages, particularly among Slavic communities in Eastern Europe.
In its earliest forms, the name was spelled as Vasilia or Vasilisa, and its variations could be found in various ancient Slavic texts and records. One of the earliest known references to the name can be traced back to the 10th century, when it was mentioned in the Primary Chronicle, a Russian historical document detailing the origins of the Kievan Rus' state.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing this name was Basya Gavrilovna, a Russian noblewoman and courtier who lived in the 17th century. She served as a lady-in-waiting to Tsarina Mariya Miloslavskaya, the first wife of Tsar Alexis I of Russia.
Another prominent individual with this name was Basya Kuznetsova (1910-1995), a Soviet writer and playwright known for her works depicting the lives of women during the Russian Revolution and World War II. Her plays, such as "The Lonely White Sail" and "The Green Tent," were widely acclaimed and performed throughout the Soviet Union.
In the realm of religion, the name Basya was also associated with Saint Basya of Kiev (c. 1011-1098), a revered nun and ascetic who founded several monasteries in the Kievan Rus' region. Her life and teachings were documented in the Paterikon of the Kiev Caves Monastery, a collection of stories about the monks and nuns of the renowned monastery.
Moving beyond the Slavic region, the name Basya also found its way into the Jewish community, particularly among Ashkenazi Jews. One notable figure was Basya Berdichevskaya (1892-1970), a Yiddish writer and activist who played a significant role in preserving and promoting Yiddish literature and culture during the 20th century.
Another individual worth mentioning is Basya Lauritzen (1909-2005), a Danish artist and sculptor who gained recognition for her abstract works and was awarded the prestigious Eckersberg Medal in 1958 for her contributions to the arts.
People
Basya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Basya 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
Basya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Basya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 988 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Basya 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 346,917 US residents.
Is Basya a common name?
We classify Basya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,008 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Basya most popular?
The single biggest year for Basya was 2024, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Basya is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Basya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Basya in the SSA data are female. 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.