Basil

#5,410 for girls in 2025, 23 births · #2,020 for boys in 2025, 74 births
Given to boys 97.3% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1897 · 33 births
Debut · boys
11 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
13,172
since 1880

Basil over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Basil has never cracked the top 300 here.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201919peak #321, 1897boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#5,41023#2,02074
2024#6,16719#2,01276
2023#5,24824#2,03274
2022#4,79328#1,82688
2021#4,60729#2,00074
2020#6,32518#2,32358
2019#4,77328#2,04271
2018#5,00726#2,06569
2017#5,19125#2,24059
2016#5,79622#2,22860
2015#7,26616#2,42952
2014#6,98717#2,70544
2013#6,01721#2,27856
2012#6,11021#2,63246
2011#13,3477#2,69944
2010#9,79011#2,57947
2009#13,7047#2,28757
2008#17,5045#3,48631
2007#2,25758
2006#13,6067#2,06264
2005#2,39948
2004#2,59941
2003#2,00657
2002#1,94357
2001#1,84160
2000#1,74264
1999#1,77856
1998#1,58566
1997#1,77354
1996#1,42173
1995#1,47765
1994#1,38371
1993#1,42067
1992#1,32173
1991#1,38267
1990#1,33669
1989#1,61549
1988#1,31961
1987#1,24861
1986#1,15367
1985#1,48545
1984#1,42245
1983#1,00078
1982#1,25455
1981#1,29451
1980#1,17660
1979#1,27052
1978#1,21454
1977#1,09962
1976#1,21051
1975#1,09958
1974#1,19848
1973#1,07457
1972#1,00065
1971#99866
1970#1,01664
1969#98960
1968#96857
1967#84871
1966#76292
1965#81582
1964#78492
1963#763101
1962#77995
1961#720113
1960#733110
1959#735109
1958#732103
1957#77295
1956#718104
1955#720103
1954#682112
1953#616139
1952#688103
1951#668109
1950#658113
1949#649111
1948#629116
1947#535158
1946#592117
1945#603101
1944#564117
1943#544132
1942#472169
1941#513132
1940#487140
1939#495135
1938#460157
1937#463145
1936#401189
1935#417175
1934#447159
1933#413172
1932#396200
1931#454154
1930#386219
1929#373238
1928#431191
1927#4,8055#371249
1926#385232
1925#370259
1924#354281
1923#379245
1922#382247
1921#374266
1920#383243
1919#3,8177#352262
1918#387239
1917#379221
1916#341244
1915#339243
1914#375161
1913#387120
1912#359114
1911#32869
1910#38346
1909#40337
1908#36539
1907#35139
1906#37832
1905#38430
1904#32837
1903#41123
1902#34832
1901#34728
1900#35737
1899#33628
1898#37727
1897#32133
1896#32334
1895#41422
1894#34927
1893#38322
1892#40422
1891#52412
1890#43417
1889#46416
1888#41620
1887#48813
1886#60510
1885#49814
1884#57011
1883#6778
1882#54012
1881#5959
1880#57111
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Basil was already there! It came in at #571, and was given to 11 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1884, when fewer than 13 boys a year got the name.

See more about Basil
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 8 spots since 2024 (#2,012#2,020)
  • 303 spots since 2020 (#2,323#2,020)
  • 409 spots since 2015 (#2,429#2,020)
  • Biggest jump: 254 spots in 1983 (#1,254#1,000)
  • Biggest drop: 422 spots in 1984 (#1,000#1,422)
Rise & fade · boys
17 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1897 at #321 (33 births)
  • Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 93 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 93 yrs · run 1880–1969
Share of babies · boys
1 in 3,275
  • Highest: 1 in 3,275 boys born in 1911 were named Basil (0.03%)
  • Latest: 1 in 23,082 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #321 in 1897, was only 1 in 3,417 (0.03%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 18.6% of all boys named Basil (2,451) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s124#416 (1888)#542
1890s244#321 (1897)#387
1900s334#328 (1904)#367
1910s1,719#328 (1911)#363
1920s2,451#354 (1924)#380
1930s1,705#386 (1930)#433
1940s1,293#472 (1942)#559
1950s1,090#616 (1953)#699
1960s873#720 (1961)#816
1970s577#998 (1971)#1,118
1980s572#1,000 (1983)#1,297
1990s661#1,321 (1992)#1,488
2000s537#1,742 (2000)#2,262
2010s548#2,042 (2019)#2,390
2020s444#1,826 (2022)#2,036

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Basil in 1919

girls
#3,817
7 births · 1 in 161,445 girls
boys
#352
262 births · 1 in 3,741 boys

Top girls' names in 1919

  1. #1Mary65,836
  2. #2Helen33,706
  3. #3Dorothy31,733
  4. #4Margaret26,238
  5. #5Ruth24,562
  6. #6Mildred17,300
  7. #7Virginia15,636
  8. #8Elizabeth15,287
  9. #9Frances15,106
  10. #10Anna14,498
  11. #3,817Basil7

Top boys' names in 1919

  1. #1John53,522
  2. #2William43,969
  3. #3James42,392
  4. #4Robert41,025
  5. #5Charles25,192
  6. #6George25,170
  7. #7Joseph24,266
  8. #8Edward18,536
  9. #9Frank15,701
  10. #10Thomas13,434
  11. #352Basil262
More about 1919

girls

1,130,117 girls got a published name in 1919; 1 in 161,445 of them was named Basil, which outranked 31.3% of the 5,559 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Basil
  1. #3,452Zenora8
  2. #3,452Zillah8
  3. #3,452Zonia8
  4. #3,817Basil7
  5. #3,817Aberdeen7
  6. #3,817Achsah7
  7. #3,817Addine7
  8. #4,251Adalee6
  9. #4,251Addis6
  10. #4,251Adelheid6

Tied with 433 names at #3,817; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1918
Risers
  1. 851Gregoria#1,805#954
  2. 443Concha#1,333#890
  3. 390Arlena#1,299#909
  4. 353Marina#1,255#902
  5. 333Roselle#1,333#1,000
Fallers
  1. 1,019Liberty#585#1,604
  2. 840Victory#809#1,649
  3. 567Karen#960#1,527
  4. 404Zena#989#1,393
  5. 359Malvina#989#1,348

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

980,122 boys got a published name in 1919; 1 in 3,741 of them was named Basil, which outranked 92.7% of the 4,810 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 30.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Basil
  1. #349Abe264
  2. #349Alva264
  3. #349Emerson264
  4. #352Basil262
  5. #352Christopher262
  6. #354Bruno261
  7. #354Miles261
  8. #356Armand260

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1918
Risers
  1. 446Quinten#1,313#867
  2. 432Dempsey#1,012#580
  3. 341Winton#1,231#890
  4. 334Donnie#1,211#877
  5. 332Edsel#1,062#730
Fallers
  1. 2,008Foch#869#2,877
  2. 582Carmel#949#1,531
  3. 403Eligah#918#1,321
  4. 398Nels#809#1,207
  5. 355Myer#966#1,321

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1919