Basil

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Basil

Gender: Masculine
Language: English
Etymology:
Basil comes from the Greek name Basileios, meaning “Kingly.”

History:
Basil, a Greek name, was traditionally popular in Eastern Europe, especially in Russia (as Vasily). It was the name of two Byzantine emperors, as well as a bishop of Caesarea (St. Basil the Great)

Because of St. Basil, the name Basil became common in all Orthodox Christian communities (Greek, Russian, etc.).

However, the name could be found every so often in medieval England (from the late 12th century on). A Dictionary of First Names credits returning Crusaders for introducing the name as they returned home.

Although it disappeared in England after the Reformation, Basil was revived by Tractarian movement of the 19th century. The Tractarians were a British reform movement that sought to strengthen the Anglican church’s ties to its early Christian past.

The name Basil was at its most common during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but it never became popular in the United States.

Pronunciation: bay-sill, baz-ill.

Diminutives:
English: Bas, Baz.

Alternates: Bazil, Basile.
Bulgarian: Vasil.
Dutch: Basilius.
Finnish: Pasi.
Hawaiian: Pakile.
Latin: Basilius, Basilus.
Macedonian: Vasil.
Polish: Bazyli, Vasily, Wasyl, Wasylo.
Russian: Vasili.
Spanish: Basilio.
Ukrainian: Vasyklo.

Feminine: Basilia.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Vasily Trofimovich Narezhny (1780-1825)
Russian novelist.
Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky (1783-1852)
Russian poet.
Vasily Grigoryevich Perov (1833-1882)
Russian painter.
Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin (1842-1904)
Russian painter.
Basil Bunting (1900-1985)
British poet.
Sir Basil Urwin Spence (1907-1976)
British architect.

Educators, Scholars, and Social Workers:
Vasily Kirilovich Tredyakovsky (1703-1769)
Russian scholar.
Vasily Drosdov Philaret (1782-1867)
Russian preacher and reformer.
Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve (1831-1924)
American classics scholar.
Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky (1841-1911)
Russian historian.
Vasily Vasilyevich Rozanov (1856-1919)
Russian scholar.

Military:
Vasily Konstantinovich Blücher (1889-1937)
Russian general.

Miscellaneous:
Vasily Mikhailovich Golovnin (1776-1831)
Russian explorer.
Basil Hall (1788-1844)
British explorer.
Sir Basil Zaharoff (Basileios Zacharias) (1849-1936)
Turkish-French financier.
Sir Basil Henry Blackwell (1889-1984)
British publisher.
Sir Basil Henry Liddel Hart (1895-1970)
British journalist.
Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov (1921-)
Russian chess player.

Political Figures:
Basil Stanlake Brooke, Viscton Brookborough (1888-1973)
Northern Ireland statesman.

Religious Figures:
Saint Basileus (-319)
An early martyr.
Saint Basil (-335)
An early bishop of Bologna, Italy.
Saint Basil the Great (330-379)
An early, Eastern, Christian leader. He helped developed monasticism. He is the patron saint of hospital administrators.
Saint Basil (-475)
An early bishop of Aix, France.

Royalty:
Basil I the Macedonian (812-886)
Byzantine emperor.
Basil II (Basil Bulgaroctonus: “Slayer of Bulgars”) (958-1025)
Byzantine emperor.
Vasily III (1479-1533)
Grand Duke of Moscow.

Singers and Entertainers:
Basil Rathbone (1892-1967)
British actor.

Sports Stars:
Basil Lewis D’Oliveira (1934-)
South African cricketer.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.010 % named Basil

Popularity of Basil:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1850: 661st most popular.
1875: 992nd most popular.
1880: 572nd most popular.
1881: 596th most popular.
1882: 540th most popular.
1883: 677th most popular.
1884: 570th most popular.
1885: 498th most popular.
1886: 605th most popular.
1887: 488th most popular.
1888: 416th most popular.
1889: 465th most popular.
1890: 434th most popular.
1891: 524th most popular.
1892: 404th most popular.
1893: 383rd most popular.
1894: 349th most popular.
1895: 414th most popular.
1896: 323rd most popular.
1897: 321st most popular - Peak!
1898: 377th most popular.
1899: 336th most popular.
1900: 359th most popular.
1901: 346th most popular.
1902: 348th most popular.
1903: 411th most popular.
1904: 328th most popular.
1905: 384th most popular.
1906: 377th most popular.
1907: 351st most popular.
1908: 365th most popular.
1909: 403rd most popular.
1910: 383rd most popular.
1911: 323rd most popular.
1912: 360th most popular.
1913: 390th most popular.
1914: 375th most popular.
1915: 338th most popular.
1916: 346th most popular.
1917: 378th most popular.
1918: 386th most popular.
1919: 353rd most popular.
1920: 384th most popular.
1921: 373rd most popular.
1922: 382nd most popular.
1923: 379th most popular.
1924: 355th most popular.
1925: 370th most popular.
1926: 385th most popular.
1927: 372nd most popular.
1928: 428th most popular.
1929: 372nd most popular.
1930: 388th most popular.
1931: 457th most popular.
1932: 400th most popular.
1933: 409th most popular.
1934: 446th most popular.
1935: 416th most popular.
1936: 402nd most popular.
1937: 460th most popular.
1938: 464th most popular.
1939: 496th most popular.
1940: 491st most popular.
1941: 512th most popular.
1942: 475th most popular.
1943: 542nd most popular.
1944: 561st most popular.
1945: 606th most popular.
1946: 592nd most popular.
1947: 536th most popular.
1948: 629th most popular.
1949: 640th most popular.
1950: 654th most popular.
1951: 671st most popular.
1952: 684th most popular.
1953: 614th most popular.
1954: 678th most popular.
1955: 719th most popular.
1956: 715th most popular.
1957: 769th most popular.
1958: 729th most popular.
1959: 737th most popular.
1960: 731st most popular.
1961: 723rd most popular.
1962: 778th most popular.
1963: 761st most popular.
1964: 793rd most popular.
1965: 810th most popular.
1966: 760th most popular.
1967: 848th most popular.
1968: 971st most popular.
1969: 996th most popular.
1970: N/A
1971: 997th most popular.
1972: 999th most popular.
1973-2004: N/A

Selected Sources:
The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, Withycombe, 1977, 3rd ed.
A Dictionary of First Names, Hanks and Hodges, 1990
The Penguin Dictionary of First Names, Pickering, 1999

The Social Security Administration Actuarial Note 139 (www.ssa.gov) - For popularity stats 1880-Present
The 1880 U.S. Census- For popularity stats 1850-1880, and other information (it is available on-line at www.familysearch.org)