Besart
An Albanian masculine name meaning "loyal" or "one who keeps promises".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Besart. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Besart today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Besart births was 2007 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Besart. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Besart. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2007
5 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2008 SSA rank
#12,760
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Besart: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Besart 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 Besart during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Besart
The given name Besart has its origins in Albanian culture and language. It is derived from the Albanian word "besë," which means "faith" or "pledge." This word is thought to have its roots in the ancient Illyrian language, which was spoken in the Balkans before the arrival of the Slavic peoples.
The name Besart first appeared in written records during the medieval period, when Albania was under Ottoman rule. It is believed to have been used by Albanian families as a way to express their commitment to their cultural and religious identity in the face of Ottoman dominance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Besart can be found in the epic Albanian folk tales known as the "Cycles of the Frontier Warriors." These tales, which date back to the 15th century, often featured brave Albanian warriors who fought to defend their homeland against invaders.
In the 16th century, there was a famous Albanian warrior named Besart Skenderbeu, who led a resistance movement against the Ottoman Empire. He was renowned for his courage and military prowess, and his exploits were celebrated in Albanian folk songs and legends.
Another notable figure with the name Besart was Besart Mustafa, an Albanian writer and scholar who lived in the 19th century. He was a pioneer of the Albanian National Renaissance movement, which sought to revive and promote Albanian language and culture.
In the 20th century, Besart Golemi was a prominent Albanian politician and diplomat who served as the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1992 to 1997. He played a key role in establishing Albania's diplomatic relations with other countries after the fall of communism.
Besart Kalushi, born in 1985, is a contemporary Albanian singer and songwriter who has achieved widespread popularity in the Balkans and beyond. His music often draws on traditional Albanian folk themes and rhythms, while incorporating modern elements.
Throughout its history, the name Besart has been associated with a sense of honor, loyalty, and cultural pride among Albanians. It has been borne by warriors, scholars, politicians, and artists who have made significant contributions to the preservation and celebration of Albanian heritage.
People
Besart + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Besart 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
Besart: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Besart?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Besart 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Besart a common name?
We classify Besart as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Besart most popular?
The single biggest year for Besart was 2007, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Besart is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Besart in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Besart a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Besart 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.
Is Besart still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Besart in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Besart can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Besart?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Besart on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.