Basma
How to say it: bass-MAH · /basˈma/
From Arabic meaning 'smile' - feminine name symbolizing joy, common across the Middle East and North Africa.
Basma was the 5,428th most popular girls’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 16 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 2010s, its births are down about 25% in ten years, and it is projected to slip to #5,657 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among girls’ names, 2025 | #5,428 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 16 |
| Share of births | 1 in 207,208 |
| Peak decade | 2010s |
| Change over 10 years | −25% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #5,657 |
| In France, 2025 | #625 among girls’ names, 55 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Basma is a newcomer: almost all of its history is from the last forty years.
What goes with it
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Basma is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German.
In France: #625 for girls in 2025.
Famous people named Basma
- Basma Hassan (born 1975)Egyptian actress
- Basma Azouar (born 1983)Algerian politician
- Basma Khalfaoui (born 1970)Tunisian lawyer, activist and feminist
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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