Basil is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Basil means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Basil across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Basil has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Basil is a boy name of Greek origin meaning “royal, kingly”. From Greek basileus meaning king.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 13,538 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 379 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 4 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 49 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Basil per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1924 (281/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2025 (26/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1966 (7/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2016 (4/yr).
Basil has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1924, when it ranked #760 nationally (given to 281 babies that year).
Bazil · Basilia · Basilio · Bazel · Bacil · Bacilia · Basel · Bassel
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