2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bashan
A place name referring to a region of ancient Canaan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Bashan. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bashan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Bashan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bashan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bashan
The surname "BASHAN" is of Aramaic origin and dates back to ancient times. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bashan, which was a fertile plateau located in the northern part of the Transjordan region, east of the Sea of Galilee.
One of the earliest references to the name "BASHAN" can be found in the Bible, where it is mentioned as the name of a region known for its oak forests and fertile pastures. The word "Bashan" itself is derived from the Aramaic root word "bashen," which means "soft and fertile soil."
In ancient times, the region of Bashan was inhabited by various Semitic tribes, including the Amorites and the Israelites. The name "BASHAN" was likely adopted as a surname by families or individuals who lived in or had connections to this region.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "BASHAN" can be traced back to the 12th century, when it appears in various medieval records and manuscripts from the Middle East. One notable example is the "Kitab al-Ansab" (Book of Genealogies), written by the Arab historian and genealogist al-Sam'ani in the 11th century, which mentions the name "BASHAN" in reference to several families from the region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname "BASHAN." One such person was Yusuf ibn Bashan (1056-1127), a renowned Islamic scholar and poet from Damascus who wrote extensively on subjects such as grammar, literature, and theology.
Another notable figure was Khalil al-Bashan (1211-1285), a Syrian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry and wrote several treatises on astronomy and mathematics.
In the 14th century, there was a Jewish scholar named Isaac Bashan (1326-1408) who lived in Spain and wrote extensively on Talmudic law and Jewish philosophy.
During the Ottoman period, a prominent family with the surname "BASHAN" lived in the city of Aleppo, Syria. One member of this family, Muhammad Bashan (1564-1636), was a renowned poet and calligrapher who served as the chief calligrapher at the Ottoman court in Istanbul.
In more recent times, an Egyptian writer and journalist named Yahya Bashan (1901-1974) gained recognition for his works on Egyptian culture and his advocacy for women's rights and social reform.
Overall, the surname "BASHAN" has a rich history that can be traced back to ancient times, and its origins are deeply rooted in the geography and cultural heritage of the Middle East.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bashan
Among Census respondents with the surname Bashan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bashan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bashan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 5
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bashan
Bashan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,677 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-15 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,802 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 6,677 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 14,802 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bashan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #133,863 | #148,665 | -11.1% |
| Count | 126 | 111 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bashan bearers went from 126 to 111 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 14,802 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #148,665.
FAQ
Bashan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bashan?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Bashan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Bashan?
Bashan ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Bashan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bashan.
Has Bashan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bashan went from 126 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Bashan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bashan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bashan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bashan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Hispanic (7.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bashan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bashan mean?
A place name referring to a region of ancient Canaan. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bashan (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Bashan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Bashan at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.