Basil
How to say it: BAY-zul · /ˈbeɪzəl/
From Greek 'basileus' meaning 'king' - also the herb, used since early saints.
Basil was the 1,628th most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 97 babies of either sex (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 1910s, its births are up about 40% in ten years, and it is projected to rise to #1,545 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #1,628 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 (both sexes) | 97 |
| Share of births | 1 in 34,178 |
| Peak decade | 1910s |
| Change over 10 years | +40% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #1,545 |
| In France, 2025 | #1,000 among boys’ names, 25 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Basil peaked in the 1910s.
What goes with it
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Basil is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Arabic, English, French, Greek.
In France: #1,000 for boys in 2025.
Famous people named Basil
- Basil Rathbone (1892–1967)English actor
- Basil Fool for Christ (1462–1552)Eastern Orthodox Church Saint
- Basil Poledouris (1945–2006)Greek-American composer, conductor, and orchestrator of film and television scores
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
Good to know
- Basil Fawlty, the iconic snobbish hotelier of the classic BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers; dominant UK association for the name.
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