Given name & surname
Basma
“one who smiles a lot”
Basma is a variant of Basimah. One Arabic interpretation is “one who smiles a lot.”
Original Arabicبسمة
Meaning & origin
What it means
Basma is a variant of Basimah. One Arabic interpretation is “one who smiles a lot.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1980. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Basma through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 466
- 0 boys · 466 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 29 babies
- 2025
- 16
- #6,888 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −14%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 16 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 6,888 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 13.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 29 in 2017. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,237 as a first name in 2020; 262 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Basma’s family of names
Basma has a related form in Basimah. In Arabic usage, Basma is a Roman-alphabet rendering of بسمة. In Arabic usage, Basma is a transliteration of بسمة.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Basma
- Basma HassanEgyptian actressborn 1975
- Basma AzouarAlgerian politicianborn 1983
- Basma KhalfaouiTunisian lawyer, activist and feministborn 1970
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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