Basil

A male given name: from a Greek word meaning “royal.”.

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The name Basil (royal, kingly) comes from the male Greek name Vassilios (Greek: Βασίλειος, female version Bασιλική), which first appeared during the Hellenistic period. It is derived from "basileus" (Greek: βασιλεύς), a Greek word of pre-Hellenic origin meaning "king", from which words such as basilica and basilisk (via Latin) as well as the eponymous herb (via Old French) derive, and the name of the Italian region Basilicata, which had been long under the rule of the Byzantine Emperor (also called basileus).
It was brought to England by the Crusaders, having been common in the eastern Mediterranean. It is more often used in Britain and Europe than in the US and is also the name of a common herb.
In Arabic, Bas(s)el (باسل, bāsil) is a name for boys that means "brave, fearless, intrepid". It is derived from the B-S-L root.
Different derived names in different languages include Basile in French; Basilius in German; Basilio in Italian, Galician and Spanish; Basileo in Galician; Vasile in Romanian; Vasil in Bulgarian; Vasilije in Serbian; Vasily in Russian; Bazil, Bazsó, Vászoly and Vazul in Hungarian.
"Basil" has over 50 variants, among them being: Bacile, Bas(s)el, Basley, Baseley, Bas(s)il(l), Basilic, Basilides, Basileios, Basileo, Basile, Basilie, Basilio, Basilius, Basilone, Bazeel, Bazeelius, Bazley, Bazeley, Bazell, Bazelle, Bazil, Bazyli, Breasal, Pasi, Vasil, Vasyl, Vasile, Vaseleos, Vasilchenko, Vasileos, Vasilije, Vasilj, Vasko, Vasa, Vaso, Vasović, Vas(s)ilios, Vasilius, Vasilus, Vassilis, Vasili, Vassili, Vasiliy, Vassilij, Vassily, Wassily, and Wasilewski.

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Aromatic shrubby plant, early 15c., from Old French basile (15c., Modern French basilic), from Medieval Latin basilicum, from Greek basilikon (phyton) "royal (plant)," from basileus "king" (see Basil). So called, probably, because it was believed to have been used in making royal perfumes. In Latin, confused with basiliscus (see basilisk) because it was supposed to be an antidote to the basilisk's venom.

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Means: royal, kingly in Greek; derived from basileus. Means: brave, valiant in Arabic.

Bacile, Vasilj, Basileios, Vasyl, Basilios, Baseley, Basilone

Popularity	Name	Birth Year	Description
1	Basil Rathbone	1892	British actor
2	Toni Basil	1943	Singer from the United States
3	Basil L. Plumley	1920	United States Army soldier
4	Basil II	0958	Byzantine Emperor from the Macedonian dynasty
5	Basil of Caesarea	0329	Christian Saint
6	Basil Poledouris	1945	American composer
7	Basil I	0811	Byzantine emperor
8	Basil Joseph	1990
9	Basil Fawlty
10	Basil Bernstein	1924	British sociologist
11	Basil Zaharoff	1849	Greek-born arms dealer and industrialist
12	Basil Thampi	1993
13	Basil D'Oliveira	1931	Cricket player of England.
14	Basil Wallace	2000	American actor
15	Basil Hume	1923	Catholic cardinal
16	Basil Zempilas	1971	Australian sports presenter
17	Basil Radford	1897	British actor
18	Basil Hoskins	1929	British actor
19	Basil Spence	1907	Scottish architect
20	Basil Sydney	1894	English actor
21	Basil McRae	1961	Canadian ice hockey player
22	Basil Dearden	1911	British film director, producer and screenwriter
23	Basil Valdez	1951	Filipino singer
24	Basil Bunting	1900	Poet
25	Basil Banghart	1901	American burglar who, with Roger Touhy, was wrongly convicted of the Jake Factor kidnapping.
26	Basil Fool for Christ	1468	Eastern Orthodox Church Saint
27	Basil Valentine	1394	German alchemist of the 16th–17th century
28	Basil Ruysdael	1888	American actor and opera singer
29	Basil Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough	1888	Northern Irish politician
30	Basil King	1859	Canadian writer
31	Basil Wolverton	1909	American cartoonist
32	Basil Davidson	1914	British historian
33	Johnny Basil
34	Basil McCrea	1959	British politician
35	Basil Hoffman	1938	American actor
36	Basil Hall Chamberlain	1850	British academic
37	Basil Marceaux	1952	American politician
38	Basil Twist		American puppeteer
39	Basil Kirchin	1927	British musician
40	Basil Brown	1888	British archaeologist
41	Basil Hiley	1935	British quantum physicist
42	Basil Henson	1918	Actor
43	Basil Moreau	1799	Founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross
44	Basil Feldman, Baron Feldman	1923	British Baron
45	Basil Rajapaksa		Sri Lankan politician
46	Basil of Ostrog	1610	Serbian Orthodox bishop and saint
47	Basil Gogos		American illustrator
48	Basil Blackshaw	1932	British artist
49	Basil Thomson	1861	British civil servant and writer
50	Basil Hetzel	1922	Australian medical researcher
51	Basil Dignam	1905	English actor
52	Basil Dean	1887	British actor and filmmaker
53	Basil Blackwell	1889	English bookseller
54	Basil W. Duke	1838	American General of the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War
55	Basil Lekapenos	0925	Byzantine official
56	Basil Embry	1902	Royal Air Force air marshal
57	Basil H. Johnston	1929	Canadian writer
58	Basil Hayden	1899	American college basketball player, college basketball coach
59	Basil O'Connor	1892	Lawyer and Philanthropist
60	Basil Pao		Hong Kong photographer
61	Basil Markesinis	1944	Greek university proffessor
62	Basil Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 4th Marquess of Dufferin and Ava	1909	British politician and soldier
63	Basil Hall	1788	Royal Navy officer
64	Basil Beattie	1935	British artist
65	Basil Copper	1924	English writer
66	Basil Butcher	1933	West Indian cricketer
67	Basil Pennington	1931	American religious servant
68	Basil Schonland	1896	South African physicist
69	Basil of Ancyra		Christian priest in Ancyra, Galatia
70	Basil Heatley	1933	British athlete
71	Basil Gabbidon	1955	British Jamaican guitarist and vocalist
72	Basil Montagu	1770	British lawyer and writer
73	Basil A. Paterson	1926	American politician
74	Basil Parasiris	1965	Canadian acquitted of first-degree murder charge
75	Basil of Trebizond	1315	Emperor of Trebizond
76	Basil Henriques	1890	British philanthropist
77	Basil Al Bayati	1946
78	Basil Hood	1864	British dramatist and army officer
79	Basil Hirschowitz	1925	Gastroenterologist
80	Basil El-Baz		Egyptian businessman
81	Basil Wright	1907	English documentary filmmaker
82	Basil Charles Godfrey Place	1921	Royal Navy officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross
83	Basil Boothroyd	1910	British journalist and writer
84	Basil Champneys	1842	British architect and author
85	Basil Coetzee	1944	South African musician
86	Basil Harwood	1859	English organist and composer
87	Basil Gould	1883	British diplomat
88	Basili Mkalavishvili
89	Basil Soda	1967	Lebanese fashion designer (1967-2015)
90	Basil Ede	1931	English artist
91	Basil the Elder
92	Basil Cameron	1884	English conductor and violinist
93	Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve	1831	American classical philologist
94	Basil Sellers	1935	Australian basketball player
95	Basil de Ferranti	1930	British politician
96	Basil Payne	1923	Poet
97	Basil the Copper Hand		Byzantine rebel leader active in Bithynia
98	Basil Feilding, 2nd Earl of Denbigh	1608	English diplomat
99	Basil Gorgis	1961	Iraqi footballer
100	Basil Gordon	1931	Mathematician
101	Basil de Sélincourt	1877	British writer
102	Basil Soper	1938	British actor
103	Basil the Physician		Bogomil leader
104	Patriarch Basil III of Constantinople	1846	Orthodox patriarch
105	Basil Scarsella	1955	Australian sports businessman
106	Patriarch Basil II of Constantinople		Patriarch of Constantinople
107	Basil Wigoder	1921	English barrister
108	Basil John Mason	1923	British meteorologist
109	Basil van Rooyen	1939	South African racing driver
110	Basil Ringrose	1653	English buccaneer and writer
111	Basil Pesambili Mramba	1940	Tanzanian politician
112	Basil Khalil	1981
113	Basil Moss	1935	British actor
114	Basil Mitchell	1975	American football player
115	Basil Clarke	1879	British journalist
116	Priya Basil	1977	British author
117	Wassily de Basil	1888	Russian ballet impresario
118	Basil Boioannes	1017	Byzantine catapan
119	Basil Willey	1897	British academic
120	Basil Coad	1906	British Army general
121	Basil Langton	1912	British actor
122	Basil Argyros	0970	Byzantine nobleman
123	Basil Newby	1951	British businessman
124	Basil Hayward	1928	Footballer
125	Basil Hopko	1904	Slovak greece catholic bishop
126	Basil Collier	1908	British military historian
127	Basil Temple Blackwood	1870	British lawyer and artist
128	Basil Fernando		Sri Lankan writer and activist
129	Basil Osborne	1938	Patriarch of Constantinople
130	Basil Neven-Spence	1888	British politician
131	Basil Mott	1859	British baronet
132	Basil Dickey	1880	Screenwriter
133	Basil Gill	1877	British actor
134	Basil Sanderson, 1st Baron Sanderson of Ayot	1894	British Baron
135	Basil Eugster	1914	British military general
136	Basil W. Maturin	1847	Irish writer and priest
137	Basil Al-Khatib	1962	Syrian director
138	Basil Yamey	1919	South African economist
139	Harry Basil
140	Basil Cochrane	1753	East India Company nabob
141	Basil Kerski	1969	German journalist
142	Basil Morris	1888	Australian general
143	Basil Kelly	1920	Northern Irish barrister, judge and politician.
144	Basil Schott	1939	American bishop
145	Basil William Robinson	1912	British art historian
146	Basil Atkinson	1895	Classics scholar and Evangelical activist
147	Basil Wilkerson	1907	American football player
148	Vasyl Kovpak	1967	Ukrainian priest
149	Basil Shaaban	1980	Lebanese racing driver
150	Patriarch Basil I of Constantinople		Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
151	Basil Moore	1933	Canadian post-Keynesian economist
152	Basil McIvor	1928	Northern Irish politician
153	Basil Watson	1958	Sculptor
154	Basil Emmott	1894	British cinematographer
155	Basil Akram	1993	English cricketer
156	Basil Arthur	1928	New Zealand politician
157	Basil Lubbock	1876	British writer
158	Basil of Seleucia
159	Basil F. Heath	1917	American actor
160	Basil Eidenbenz	1993	Swiss actor
161	Basil Ionides	1884	British architect
162	Basil Feilding, 6th Earl of Denbigh	1719	Earl in the Peerage of England
163	Basil Stewart		Canadian mayor
164	Basil Hennessy	1925	Australian archaeologist
165	Basil Apokapes		Byzantine general
166	Basil Salvadore D'Souza	1926	Indian Roman Catholic Bishop
167	Basil Acres	1926	English footballer
168	Basil Jellicoe	1899	British reformer
169	Basil Lee Whitener	1915	American politician
170	Basil Chubb	1921	British political scientist
171	Basil Mesardonites		Byzantine catapan of Italy
172	Basil Hatim	1947
173	Basil Smallpeice	1906	English accountant and company director
174	Basil Short	1991	South African rugby player
175	Basil Mackenzie, 2nd Baron Amulree	1900	Physician
176	Basil Maclear	1881	English cricketer
177	Basil Murray	1902	Journalist
178	Basil McCormack	1904	Australian rules footballer
179	Basil Boulton	1938	Canadian physician
180	Basil Weedon	1923	British chemist
181	Basil Hallam	1889	British actor
182	Basil Takach	1879	American bishop
183	Basil Wilberforce	1841	British Anglican priest and writer
184	Basil Vatatzes	1200	Byzantine nobleman and general
185	Basil Feilding, 4th Earl of Denbigh		English noble
186	Basil Dickinson	1915	Australian long and triple jumper
187	Basil Engholm	1912	British civil servant
188	Basil Onomagoulos	0700	Byzantine official
189	Basil Catterns	1917	Australian sailor
190	Basil Glass	1926	Northern Irish politician
191	Basil James	1920	American jockey
192	Basil Rebera
193	Basil Nikitin	1885	Russian orientalist and diplomat
194	Basil Neame	1921	British farmer
195	Basil of Naples	0401
196	Basil Bark	1945	Canadian football player
197	Basil Watts	1926	English rugby league player
198	Basil Guy	1910	British bishop
199	Friedrich Basil	1862	German actor
200	Basil H. Losten	1930	Ukrainian bishop