Explore the Family Name Basha

The meaning of Basha

1. Muslim (mainly the Indian subcontinent): variant of Pasha ‘pasha’. The spelling of this Turkish title with the initial B- (as in older English form bashaw) reflects Arabic (and Old Turkish) pronunciation. 2. Albanian: nickname or status name from Turkish başa, a regional variant of baş ‘head’, also ‘chief’. It may also have the meaning of the Albanian loanword from Turkish bash (definite form bashi) ‘best part’. 3. Americanized form of Slovenian, Croatian, and Serbian Baša (see Basa). Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Fozia, Imad, Nabil, Alaa, Anwer, Ashraf, Bassem, Farhana, Fati, Fatima, Hassan, Karima.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Basha in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, we see a substantial increase in the popularity of the surname Basha between 2000 and 2010. In particular, the ranking of the surname rose from 37,145 in 2000 to 29,550 in 2010, marking a 20.45% increase. In terms of count, there was an even more significant rise of 41.24%, with the number of people bearing the surname increasing from 565 in 2000 to 798 in 2010. This growth is also reflected in the proportion per 100,000 people, which saw an increase of 28.57%.

20002010Change
Rank#37,145#29,55020.45%
Count56579841.24%
Proportion per 100k0.210.2728.57%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Basha

The ethnic identity of those with the surname Basha also showed some shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of individuals identifying as White increased slightly from 66.37% to 68.42%. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander also increased marginally from 14.16% to 14.91%. Meanwhile, the percentage of individuals identifying as Black saw a notable increase of 25%, jumping from 8.32% to 10.4%. Conversely, the proportion of individuals claiming two or more races fell significantly by 59.13%, dwindling from 9.2% to just 3.76%. There were no individuals identifying as Hispanic or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
White66.37%68.42%3.09%
Asian/Pacific Islander14.16%14.91%5.3%
Black8.32%10.4%25%
Two or More Races9.2%3.76%-59.13%
Hispanic0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%