Basil



Gender:
Origin: Arabic, Greek
462 famous people named Basil found on Wikipedia.
12652 male, 195 female in US.
Most recent ranking: 2055-th in year 2018
Best ranking: 322-th in year 1897
Used in: Arabic, English

Meanings

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


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.


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.


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

Famous People: 462 found on Wikipedia.
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