Meaning and history
Basil comes from the Greek name Basileios, meaning "royal" or "kingly." It spread throughout the Christian world through Saint Basil the Great, a fourth-century bishop and influential theologian, and was also borne by two Byzantine emperors. The name has remained especially common in Eastern Christian traditions. Famous bearers include actor Basil Rathbone and the tenth-century Byzantine ruler Basil II.
20062006: 64 births, rank #2,062
2007: 58 births, rank #2,257
2008: 31 births, rank #3,486
2009: 57 births, rank #2,287
2010: 47 births, rank #2,579
20112011: 44 births, rank #2,699
2012: 46 births, rank #2,632
2013: 56 births, rank #2,278
2014: 44 births, rank #2,705
2015: 52 births, rank #2,429
20162016: 60 births, rank #2,228
2017: 59 births, rank #2,240
2018: 69 births, rank #2,065
2019: 71 births, rank #2,042
2020: 58 births, rank #2,323
20212021: 74 births, rank #2,000
2022: 88 births, rank #1,826
2023: 74 births, rank #2,032
2024: 76 births, rank #2,012
20252025: 74 births, rank #2,020
Basil moved from #999 to #1000 for boys between 1971 and 1972. Its highest annual birth count came in 1924, with 281 births.