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

Bassey, 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 Bassey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bassey in America

Bassey is the 45189th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bassey surname appeared 474 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 Bassey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bassey 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 Bassey

The surname BASSEY is of English origin, specifically from the region of Cheshire in northwest England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bæcci," which means "dweller by a stream or brook." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name likely lived near a small watercourse or stream.

The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early recorded instances appearing in the Cheshire County Rolls of 1260. These ancient records list individuals with variations of the name, such as Basci and Bassy. The spelling "Bassey" became more standardized in later centuries.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are no direct references to the Bassey surname. However, the book does mention places with similar-sounding names, such as Bache in Cheshire, which could be related to the origin of the Bassey name.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Bassey surname was William Bassey, born around 1520 in Nantwich, Cheshire. He was a prominent figure in the local community and served as a churchwarden in the parish church of St. Mary's.

Another notable individual was Sir Richard Bassey (1634-1698), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Cheshire in the late 17th century. He was known for his support of the Glorious Revolution that brought William III and Mary II to the English throne.

In the 18th century, John Bassey (1712-1786) was a successful merchant and trader in Liverpool, contributing to the city's growth as a major port during the Industrial Revolution.

Moving into the 19th century, Mary Bassey (1825-1902) was a prominent educator and headmistress of the Bassey Girls' School in Chester, which provided education to underprivileged children in the area.

One of the most famous individuals with the Bassey surname is Shirley Bassey (born 1937), the iconic Welsh singer known for her powerful vocals and numerous hit songs, including the James Bond theme songs "Goldfinger," "Diamonds Are Forever," and "Moonraker."

While the Bassey name has English roots, it has also spread to other parts of the world, including Nigeria, where it is a common surname among certain ethnic groups. However, the Nigerian Basseys likely have a different origin and meaning for their name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bassey

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

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 Bassey 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 Bassey 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 Bassey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!