Basil (name)

Basil

Basil of Caesarea
Pronunciation	/ˈbæzəl/ BAZ-əl, /ˈbɑːsəl/ BAH-səl
Gender	Male and Female
Origin
Word/name	Greek, Arabic
Meaning	"royal, kingly, brave, valiant, chivalrous" in Greek; "brave, fearless, intrepid" in Arabic

The name Basil (royal, kingly) comes from the male Greek name Vassilios (Greek: Βασίλειος, female version Bασιλεία), 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 basil (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 United States. It is also the name of a common herb.

In Arabic, Bas(s)el (باسل, bāsil) is a name for boys and girls that means "brave, fearless, intrepid".^[1]

Different derived names in different languages include Barsegh in Armenian; Basile in French; Basilius in German; Basilio in Italian and Spanish; Basílio in Portuguese; Basileo in Galician; Vasyl in Ukraine; Vasile in Romanian; Vasil in Bulgarian; Vasilije in Serbian; Vasily in Russian; Bazil, Bazsó, Vászoly and Vazul in Hungarian.

Basil may refer to the following people: