Find out how popular the last name Basra is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Basra.

Basra, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Basra surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Basra in America

Basra is the 40432nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Basra surname appeared 541 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Basra.

We can also compare 2010 data for Basra to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Basra

The surname BASRA has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the region of Basra, a city located in present-day Iraq. The name can be traced back to the 7th century AD, during the early Islamic era when the city of Basra was founded by the Arab conquerors.

The name BASRA is derived from the Arabic word "al-Basrah," which means "the overflowing" or "the swampy ground." This is likely a reference to the city's location near the Shatt al-Arab waterway, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers converge.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BASRA can be found in the chronicles of the renowned Arab historian, Al-Tabari, who lived in the 9th and 10th centuries AD. He mentions several individuals with the surname BASRA who were prominent figures in the early Islamic caliphates.

In the 11th century, a famous scholar and poet named Abu Nasr al-Basri was highly regarded for his contributions to Arabic literature. He was born in Basra in 1020 and died in 1094.

During the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled from 750 to 1258 AD, the city of Basra was a major center of trade and learning. Many families adopted the surname BASRA during this period to signify their connection to the prosperous city.

One notable figure from this time was Ibn al-Basri, a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist who lived from 691 to 763 AD. He played a significant role in the development of Islamic jurisprudence and is considered one of the founders of the Hanbali school of Islamic law.

In the 13th century, a famous Sufi mystic named Suhrawardi al-Basri, born in 1145 and died in 1234, gained recognition for his teachings and writings on the spiritual path of Sufism.

Another prominent individual with the surname BASRA was Abu Bakr al-Basri, a 9th-century Arab mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of algebra and the study of celestial bodies.

While the surname BASRA has its roots in the Middle East, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its historical significance remains deeply rooted in the city of Basra and the rich cultural heritage of the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Basra

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Basra.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Basra was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Basra has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Basra was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Basra, please contact us.

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