Basil (name)

Pronunciation	/ˈbæzəl/ BAZ-əl, /ˈbɑːsəl/ BAH-səl
Word/name	Greek, Arabic
Meaning	"royal, kingly, brave, valiant, chivalrous" in Greek; "brave, fearless, intrepid" in Arabic

The name Basil (/ˈbæzəl/; 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, , Basilie, , 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, , Vassili, , Vassilij, , and Wasilewski.

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