Basil

Boy name

Basil has been given to 13,538 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1924.

Meaning & origin /ˈbæz.əl/

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

Origin: Ancient Greek

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

13,538

Peak year

1924 (281 babies)

Rank in 2025

Below top 1000

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▲ +43%

Gender split

3% girls / 97% boys

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Basil.

Seymourboy

13,122 babies since 1880

Clementboy

14,173 babies since 1880

Weldonboy

14,274 babies since 1881

Delmarboy

14,376 babies since 1880

Hiramboy

14,456 babies since 1880

Mervinboy

12,360 babies since 1880

Mortonboy

12,341 babies since 1880

Maynardboy

14,940 babies since 1880

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