Basinger
A surname most likely meaning “person from Basing” or another place-name ending in -ing(er).
The #7,932 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 74,022 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Basinger is most likely an English habitational surname, formed from a place-name such as Basing in Hampshire. The core element is the Old English personal name Bæssa or the placename element basing, meaning the people or settlement associated with that name, with -er used to mark someone from that place. In plain terms, it would have identified a person who came from Basing or a similar settlement.
History
Locational surnames of this type became hereditary in England during the Middle Ages as people moved away from their home villages. The name is comparatively uncommon, but it has remained visible in modern times through American bearers, especially in the United States. There is also a well-known American entertainment-family connection through actress Kim Basinger, which has helped keep the name familiar.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Basinger is often linked in popular reference to the Hampshire place-name Basing, which is part of a cluster of very old English settlement names around Basingstoke.