Basil

Basil: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “royal, kingly”
Origin: Greek
Say it: BAZ-il · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys (97% of all uses)

Basil comes from Greek Basileios, from basileus meaning 'king.' It is also the name of the herb, though the personal name and plant name have separate histories in Greek.

Greek names English names Names meaning royalty Names meaning noble Classic names International names

How popular is Basil?

202428.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Basil in 202495

2024 rank#2,008 boys

Peak year1915

Total US babies since 188013,438

Basil is rising: use over the last five years is 1.7× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Basil

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Theodoregift of God · Greek
Sebastianfrom Sebaste · Greek
Alexanderdefender of men · Greek
Lukefrom Lucania · Greek
Christopherbearer of Christ · Greek
Andrewmanly, brave · Greek
Theogod · Greek
Georgefarmer, earth-worker · Greek

Basil questions

What does the name Basil mean?

Basil means "royal, kingly". It comes from Greek. Basil comes from Greek Basileios, from basileus meaning 'king.' It is also the name of the herb, though the personal name and plant name have separate histories in Greek.

Is Basil a boy or girl name?

Basil is mainly a boy's name in US records (97% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Basil?

95 US babies were named Basil in 2024. Its peak year was 1915.

How do you pronounce Basil?

Basil is usually pronounced BAZ-il.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.