Basel
Basel, also known as Basle, is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine. Basel is Switzerland's third most populous city, with 177,595 inhabitants within the city municipality limits.
Meaning & Origin of Basel
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Basel, also known as Basle, is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine. Basel is Switzerland's third most populous city, with 177,595 inhabitants within the city municipality limits.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Origin & history
The Story of Basel
Basel first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1914, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2000, when 21 Basels were born — ranking #3,764 that year. As of 2026, Basel ranks #6,309 for baby boys with 13 births, rising sharply (+20% over the past five years). In total, more than 567 Basels have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Basel
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Gaspard Bauhin (1560–1624), botanist and anatomist
- Matthäus Merian the Elder (1593–1650), engraver
- Johannes Buxtorf II (1599–1664), Protestant Christian Hebraist
- Johannes Jakob Buxtorf (1645–1705), professor of Hebrew
- Jacob Bernoulli (1654–1705), mathematician
- Johann Bernoulli (1667–1748), mathematician
- Johann Jakob Wettstein (1693–1754), theologian and New Testament critic
- Daniel Bernoulli (1700–1782), mathematician and physicist, best known for his work in fluid dynamics, see Bernoulli's principle
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Basel
Phonetically similar names — useful when Basel is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Basel
What does the name Basel mean?
How popular is Basel in 2026?
When was Basel most popular?
In which U.S. states is Basel most popular?
Is Basel a unisex name?
What names go well with Basel?
About the name Basel
Basel is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1914 and has accumulated 567 births in the dataset. Basel's peak popularity came in 2000 when it ranked #2,457. Use the chart and map above to compare Basel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2000 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.