# Basil (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/basil/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Greek |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈbæz.əl/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Baz, Bazza |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 13,538 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 13,172 / 366 (3% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 407, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Name of several early saints, particularly in the Orthodox Church, from Latin Basilius, from Ancient Greek Βασίλειος (Basíleios). Doublet of Vasilios and Vasily.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 7 | 13,582 |
| 2012 | 21 | 6,147 |
| 2013 | 21 | 6,047 |
| 2014 | 17 | 7,036 |
| 2015 | 16 | 7,331 |
| 2016 | 22 | 5,823 |
| 2017 | 25 | 5,209 |
| 2018 | 26 | 5,033 |
| 2019 | 28 | 4,789 |
| 2020 | 18 | 6,363 |
| 2021 | 29 | 4,634 |
| 2022 | 28 | 4,813 |
| 2023 | 24 | 5,273 |
| 2024 | 19 | 6,205 |
| 2025 | 23 | 5,432 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 44 | 2,706 |
| 2012 | 46 | 2,639 |
| 2013 | 56 | 2,283 |
| 2014 | 44 | 2,712 |
| 2015 | 52 | 2,430 |
| 2016 | 60 | 2,234 |
| 2017 | 59 | 2,244 |
| 2018 | 69 | 2,066 |
| 2019 | 71 | 2,048 |
| 2020 | 58 | 2,326 |
| 2021 | 74 | 2,002 |
| 2022 | 88 | 1,828 |
| 2023 | 74 | 2,033 |
| 2024 | 76 | 2,015 |
| 2025 | 74 | 2,022 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 13 | 1,688 |
| 2012 | 24 | 1,119 |
| 2013 | 7 | 2,660 |
| 2014 | 7 | 2,690 |
| 2015 | 16 | 1,511 |
| 2016 | 17 | 1,498 |
| 2017 | 13 | 1,812 |
| 2018 | 10 | 2,112 |
| 2019 | 17 | 1,439 |
| 2020 | 16 | 1,492 |
| 2021 | 28 | 1,023 |
| 2022 | 19 | 1,366 |
| 2023 | 12 | 1,906 |
| 2024 | 21 | 1,282 |
| 2025 | 26 | 1,124 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: فاسيلي
- Armenian: Բարսեղ, Վասիլ
- Bulgarian: Василий, Васи́л
- Catalan: Basili
- Chinese: 巴茲爾 /巴兹尔, 巴西爾 /巴西尔, 巴西略
- Czech: Vasil
- Finnish: Pasi
- French: Basile
- Georgian: ვასილ
- German: Basilius
- Greek: Βασίλειος
- Hebrew: וסילי
- Hungarian: Bazil, Vazul, Vászoly
- Italian: Basilio
- Japanese: バジル
- Korean: 바실리
- Latin: Basilius
- Latvian: Basilijs
- Polish: Bazyli
- Portuguese: Basílio

## People named Basil

- Basil Rathbone, English actor (1892–1967)
- Basil Fool for Christ, Eastern Orthodox Church Saint
- Basil Bernstein, British sociologist (1924–2000)
- Basil Boioannes, Byzantine catapan
- Basil Hall Chamberlain, British academic (1850–1935)
- Basil Dearden, British film director (1911–1971)
- Basil Heatley, British athlete (1933–2019)
- Basil D'Oliveira, Cricket player of England. (1931-2011)
- Basil Bennett, athletics competitor (1894–1938)
- Basil Davidson, British journalist and historian (1914–2010)
- Basil Mesardonites, Byzantine catapan of Italy
- Basil Argyros, Byzantine nobleman

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.