Fun Facts About the Name Basra
- 5 babies named Basra: U.S. records list 5 babies given the name Basra from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Basra Mean?
Basra is an Arabic given name whose meaning as a personal name is uncertain. It has the same form as the name of the Iraqi city al-Baṣrah, which is usually explained from Arabic baṣrah, "white pebbly ground" or "white stony ground." Arabic writers also connect the city name with the root b-ṣ-r, "to see," and with baṣīrah, "insight," but that is a related-word association rather than a securely established derivation. The personal name has no separate etymology that is clearly documented apart from the place name.
Basra Name History & Origins
The name is best known from Basra, the city in southern Iraq. Traditional accounts place its founding in 636 CE as an Arab garrison town during the caliphate of Umar, and it grew into a major port and a center of Islamic learning, including the Basran school of Arabic grammar. Its Arabic name is al-Baṣrah, with the definite article al-; English uses Basra without it. The city's name became familiar through trade and scholarship, and the given name shares that geographic form. The personal name is best understood as a place-name use rather than as a name with a separate early etymology.
How Popular is the Name Basra?
Basra has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2017. Its best rank was #16,262 in 2017.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #16,262 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Basra Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Basra's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Basra's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.