# Basil (name)

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> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Basil_(name).md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_(name)
> Source revision: 1349490183
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{redirect|Basileios|the Greek architectural element|Stoa Basileios}}
{{Infobox given name
| name = Basil
| imagesize=
| pronunciation={{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|æ|z|əl}} {{respell|BAZ|əl}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɑː|s|əl}} {{respell|BAH|səl}}
| gender = Male
| meaning = "royal, kingly, brave, valiant, chivalrous" in [Greek](/source/Greek_language); "brave, fearless, intrepid" in [Arabic](/source/Arabic)
| region =
| origin = [Greek](/source/Greek_language), [Arabic](/source/Arabic_language)
| related names =[Barsegh](/source/Barsegh), Basel, [Basile](/source/Basile_(disambiguation)), [Basileo](/source/Basileo), [Basilio](/source/Basilio_(disambiguation)), [Basílio](/source/Basilio_(disambiguation)), [Basilius](/source/Basilius), [Bassel](/source/Bassel), [Bazil](/source/Bazil), Bazsó, Bażilju, [Vasil](/source/Vasil), [Vasile](/source/Vasile), [Vasilije](/source/Vasilije), [Vasily](/source/Vasily), [Vassilios](/source/Vassilios), [Vasyl](/source/Vasyl), Vászoly, [Vazul](/source/Vazul)
| footnotes =
|image=Basil_of_Caesarea.jpg
|caption=[Basil of Caesarea](/source/Basil_of_Caesarea)
}}
The name '''Basil''' (''royal, kingly'') comes from the male [Greek](/source/Greek_language) name [Vassilios](/source/Vassilios) ({{Langx|el|Βασίλειος}}, female version {{lang|el|Bασιλεία}}), which first appeared during the [Hellenistic](/source/Hellenistic) period. It is derived from "[basileus](/source/basileus)" ({{langx|el|βασιλεύς|links=no}}), a Greek word of [pre-Hellenic](/source/Pre-Greek_substrate) origin, meaning "king", from which words such as [basilica](/source/basilica) and [basilisk](/source/basilisk) (via [Latin](/source/Latin)) as well as the eponymous herb [basil](/source/basil) (via [Old French](/source/Old_French)) derive, and the name of the Italian region [Basilicata](/source/Basilicata), which had been long under the rule of the [Byzantine Emperor](/source/List_of_Byzantine_emperors) (also called ''basileus'').

Derived names in different languages include [Barsegh](/source/Barsegh) in Armenian; Basile in French; Basilius in German; Basilio in Italian and Spanish; Basílio in Portuguese; Basileo in Galician; Vasyl in Ukraine; [Vasile](/source/Vasile) in Romanian; [Vasil](/source/Vasil) in Bulgarian; [Vasilije](/source/Vasilije) in Serbian; [Vasiliy](/source/Vasiliy) in Russian; [Bazil](/source/Bazil), Bazsó, Vászoly and Vazul in Hungarian.

Notable people with the name include:

==Rulers==
*[Basil Onomagoulos](/source/Basil_Onomagoulos) (died 717), Byzantine usurper in Sicily in 717
*[Basil I](/source/Basil_I) the Macedonian (811–886), Byzantine Emperor from 867
*[Basil II](/source/Basil_II) Bulgaroktonus (958–1025), Byzantine Emperor from 976
*[Basil Lekapenos](/source/Basil_Lekapenos) (925–985), chief administrator of the Byzantine Empire from 945
*[Basil of Trebizond](/source/Basil_of_Trebizond) (died 1340), ruled from 1332
*[Fasilides](/source/Fasilides) (1603–1667), Ethiopian Emperor from 1603
* [Basil of Naples](/source/Basil_of_Naples), the first Duke of Naples from 661 to 666

==Generals==
*[Basil Apokapes](/source/Basil_Apokapes) (924–977), Byzantine general of the mid-11th century
*[Basil Boioannes](/source/Basil_Boioannes), Catepan of Italy in 1017–1027
*[Basil Mesardonites](/source/Basil_Mesardonites) (died 1016), Catepan of Italy in 1010–1017
*[Basil Theodorokanos](/source/Basil_Theodorokanos), Catepan of Italy in 1043

==Religious figures==
*[Basil of Caesarea](/source/Basil_of_Caesarea) (330–379), also known as Saint Basil the Great, 4th-century bishop of Caesarea
*[Basil the Elder](/source/Basil_the_Elder), father of Basil the Great and saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church
*[Basil of Ancyra (hieromartyr)](/source/Basil_of_Ancyra) (died 362), a 4th-century Christian priest and hieromartyr
*[Basil of Ancyra (martyr)](/source/Basil_of_Ancyra_(martyr)) (died 331–363)
*[Basil of Amasea](/source/Basil_of_Amasea), a fourth-century Christian bishop and martyr
*[Basil of Cilicia](/source/Basil_of_Cilicia), late 5th century [historian of Christianity](/source/History_of_Christianity)
*[Basil I of Bulgaria](/source/Basil_I_of_Bulgaria), the first Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church ({{Circa|1186|1232}}) after restoring the Tarnovo Patriarchate
*[Basil II of Bulgaria](/source/Basil_II_of_Bulgaria), Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church ({{Circa|1246|1263}})
*[Basil III of Bulgaria](/source/Basil_III_of_Bulgaria), Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church ({{Circa|1254|1263}})
*[Basil Fool for Christ](/source/Basil_Fool_for_Christ) (1468/1469–1552/1557), Russian Orthodox saint
*[Basil of Ostrog](/source/Basil_of_Ostrog) (1610–1671), Serbian Orthodox bishop and saint
*[Basil the Physician](/source/Basil_the_Physician) (died 1118), Bogomil leader burned at the stake as a heretic
*[Basil of Seleucia](/source/Basil_of_Seleucia) (died probably between 458 and 460), metropolitan bishop of Seleucia ad Calycadnum
*[Basil the Confessor](/source/Basil_the_Confessor) (died 750), Eastern Orthodox saint
*[Basil Hopko](/source/Basil_Hopko) (1904–1976), bishop of the Slovak Greek Catholic Church and martyr
*[Basil Hume](/source/Basil_Hume) (1923–1999), English Roman Catholic cardinal and Archbishop of Westminster
*[Basil Moreau](/source/Basil_Moreau) (1799–1873), French Roman Catholic priest who founded the Congregation of Holy Cross and was beatified

=== Variant ''Baselios'' ===
*Baselios I bar Baldoyo, Maphrian of the East (828–830) (See [List of maphrians](/source/List_of_maphrians))
*Baselios II, Maphrian of the East (848–868) (See [List of maphrians](/source/List_of_maphrians))
*Baselios III, Maphrian of the East (936–960) (See [List of maphrians](/source/List_of_maphrians))
*Baselios IV of Tagrit, Maphrian of the East (1046–1069) (See [List of maphrians](/source/List_of_maphrians))
*[Baselios Behnam Hadliyo](/source/Ignatius_Behnam_Hadliyo) (died 1454), Maphrian of the East (1404–1412), later Ignatius Behnam Hadliyo, Patriarch of Antioch, and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1445 until his death in 1454
*Baselios Philoxenus, Maphrian of the East (1471–1487) (See [List of maphrians](/source/List_of_maphrians))
*Baselios Abraham, Maphrian of the East (1496–1508) (See [List of maphrians](/source/List_of_maphrians))
*[Baselios Solomon](/source/Baselios_Solomon) (died 1518), Maphrian of the East of the Syriac Orthodox Church, from 1509 until his death in 1518
*Baselios Blias, Maphrian of the East (1518–1523) (See [List of maphrians](/source/List_of_maphrians)) 
*Baselios, Maphrian of Mosul, a great number of maphrians all called Baselios (See [List of maphrians#Maphrians of Mosul (1533–1860)](/source/List_of_maphrians)
*[Baselios Lazarus III](/source/Baselios_Lazarus_III) (died 1713), Maphrian of the East of the Syriac Orthodox Church, from 1709 until his death in 1713
*[Baselios Sakralla III of Aleppo](/source/Baselios_Sakralla_III_of_Aleppo) (died 1764), Maphriyano (Catholicos) of the Syriac Orthodox Church of the East from 1748 to 1760. He came to India in 1751 and was buried there
*[Baselios Cleemis](/source/Baselios_Cleemis) (born 1959), Cardinal, Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
*[Baselios Paulose I](/source/Baselios_Paulose_I) (1836–1913), Catholicos of the East, the First Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church from 1912 to 1913
*[Baselios Paulose II](/source/Baselios_Paulose_II) (1914–1996), Catholicos of India of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church from 1975 to 1996
*[Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II](/source/Baselios_Mar_Thoma_Paulose_II) (1946–2021), Catholicos of the East of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church from 2010
*[Baselios Thomas I](/source/Baselios_Thomas_I) (1929–2024), Catholicos of India, Maphrian, head of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church in India
*[Baselios Yeldo](/source/Baselios_Yeldo) (1593–1685), a saint, Maphrian of the East of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1678 until his resignation in 1684
*[Cyril Baselios](/source/Cyril_Baselios) (1935–2007), Maphrian, the first Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

=== Variant ''Basilides'' ===
*[Basilides](/source/Basilides) (2nd century AD), Egyptian Gnostic religious teacher

== Given name ==
* [Basil Alkazzi](/source/Basil_Alkazzi) (born 1938), Kuwaiti-born British painter
* [Basil Arthur](/source/Basil_Arthur) (1928–1985), New Zealand politician
* [Basil Kiiza Bataringaya](/source/Basil_Kiiza_Bataringaya), (1927–1972) Ugandan politician
* [Basil Bennett](/source/Basil_Bennett) (1894–1938), American athlete and Olympic bronze medal winner in hammer throw
* [Basil Bernstein](/source/Basil_Bernstein) (1924–2000), British sociologist and linguist
* [Basil Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough](/source/Basil_Brooke%2C_1st_Viscount_Brookeborough) (1888–1973), politician and third Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
* [Basil W. Brown](/source/Basil_W._Brown) (1927–1997), American politician
* [Basil Bunting](/source/Basil_Bunting) (1900–1985), British modernist poet
* [H. Basil Christian](/source/Harold_Basil_Christian) (1871–1950), South African/Rhodesian farmer and horticulturalist
* [Basil Dearden](/source/Basil_Dearden) (1911–1971), British film director
* [Basil W. Duke](/source/Basil_W._Duke) (1838–1916), Confederate American Civil War general and historian
* [Basil Embry](/source/Basil_Embry) (1902–1977), British Royal Air Force officer
* [Basil Favis](/source/Basil_Favis) (20th century), Canadian chemist and professor
* [Basil Gogos](/source/Basil_Gogos) (1929–2017), American illustrator
* [Basil Gomez](/source/Basil_Gomez) (born 1955), Anglo-American geomorphologist
* [Basil Gunasekara](/source/Basil_Gunasekara) (1929–2024), 7th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy
* Basil Buzz Hargrove, known as [Buzz Hargrove](/source/Buzz_Hargrove) (1944–2025), Canadian labour union leader
* [B. H. Liddell Hart](/source/B._H._Liddell_Hart) (1895–1970), English soldier, military historian and leading inter-war theorist
* [Basil Hetzel](/source/Basil_Hetzel) (1922–2017), Australian medical researcher
* [Basil Hiley](/source/Basil_Hiley) (1935–2025), British quantum physicist 
* [Basil Hood](/source/Basil_Hood) (1864–1917), British librettist and lyricist
* [Basil Joseph](/source/Basil_Joseph) (born 1990), Indian actor/director
* [Basil Al Kubaisi](/source/Basil_Al_Kubaisi) (1934–1973), assassinated Iraqi nationalist activist and academic
* [Basil McIntosh](/source/Basil_McIntosh), Bahamian politician
* [Basil Mott](/source/Basil_Mott) (1859–1938), British civil engineer
* [Basil O'Connor](/source/Basil_O'Connor) (1892–1972), American lawyer and chairman and president of the American Red Cross
* [Basil O'Meara](/source/Basil_O'Meara) (1892–1971), Canadian sports journalist
* [Basil Charles Godfrey Place](/source/Basil_Charles_Godfrey_Place) (1921–1994), British Royal Navy rear-admiral and recipient of the Victoria Cross
* [Basil Radford](/source/Basil_Radford) (1897–1952), British actor
* [Basil Rathbone](/source/Basil_Rathbone) (1892–1967), British actor
* [Basil Spence](/source/Basil_Spence) (1907–1976), Scottish architect
* [Basil Thampi](/source/Basil_Thampi) (born 1983), Indian cricketer 
* [Basil Valdez](/source/Basil_Valdez) (born 1951), Filipino singer
* [Basil Wolverton](/source/Basil_Wolverton) (1909–1978), American cartoonist, illustrator, comic book writer-artist
* [Basil Zaharoff](/source/Basil_Zaharoff) (1849–1936), Greek arms trader and financier, and chairman of the Vickers munitions company during World War I

==Surname==
* [Richard Basil](/source/Richard_Basil) (born 1967), American former college football coach
* [Sam Basil](/source/Sam_Basil) (1969–2022), Papua New Guinean politician
* [Sam Basil Jr.](/source/Sam_Basil_Jr.), Papua New Guinean politician
* [Steve Basil](/source/Steve_Basil) (1893–1962), American baseball umpire
* [Toni Basil](/source/Toni_Basil), stage name of American musician, video artist, actress, and choreographer Antonia  Basilotta (born 1943)
* [Wassily de Basil](/source/Wassily_de_Basil) (1888–1951), Russian ballet impresario

=== Variant ''Bacile'' ===
* [Giovanni Bacile](/source/Giovanni_Bacile) (1880–1941), Italian Roman Catholic priest

=== Variant ''Baseley'' ===
* [Godfrey Baseley](/source/Godfrey_Baseley) (1904–1997), American radio executive
* [William Baseley](/source/William_Baseley) (1521–1573/74), English politician, member of the Parliament of England in 1554 and 1555

=== Variant ''Basile'' ===
* ''see [Basile#Surname](/source/Basile_(disambiguation))''

=== Variant ''Basilio'' ===
* ''see [Basilio#Surname](/source/Basilio_(disambiguation))''

=== Variant ''Basilius'' ===
* [István Basilius](/source/Istv%C3%A1n_Basilius) (1549–1581), Hungarian Unitarian minister
* See [Basilius](/source/Basilius) for the Greek nobility title

=== Variant ''Basilone'' ===
* [John Basilone](/source/John_Basilone) (1916–1945), American soldier and U.S. Marine, recipient of the Medal of Honor

=== Variant ''Bassil'' ===
* ''see [Bassil](/source/Bassil)''

=== Variant ''Bazeley'' ===
* ''see [Bazeley](/source/Bazeley_(surname))''

=== Variant ''Bazell'' ===
* [Josh Bazell](/source/Josh_Bazell) (born 1970), American author and physician
* [Robert Bazell](/source/Robert_Bazell) (20th century), American academic

=== Variant ''Bazil'' ===
* [Louis Bazil](/source/Louis_Bazil) (1695–1752), French merchant and militia officer
* [Ezekiel Bazil](/source/Ezekiel_Bazil) (born 1965), Dominican politician

=== Variant ''Bazley'' ===
*''see [Bazley](/source/Bazley)''

=== Variant ''Pasi'' ===
* [Riccardo Pasi](/source/Riccardo_Pasi) (born 1990), Italian footballer
* [Geeta Pasi](/source/Geeta_Pasi) (born 1962), American diplomat

=== Variant ''Vasil'' ===
* [Adria Vasil](/source/Adria_Vasil) (21st century), Canadian journalist

=== Variant ''Vasile'' ===
* ''see [Vasile#As a surname](/source/Vasile)''

=== Variant ''Vasili'' ===
* [Laert Vasili](/source/Laert_Vasili) (born 1974), Greek Albanian actor and director
* [Petrit Vasili](/source/Petrit_Vasili) (born 1958), Albanian politician
* [Eni Vasili](/source/Eni_Vasili), Albanian journalist, writer, former news reporter, and TV talk show host

=== Variant ''Vasilj'' ===
* [Ivan Anton Vasilj](/source/Ivan_Anton_Vasilj) (born 1991), Croatian football player
* [Mario Vasilj](/source/Mario_Vasilj) (born 1983), Swedish professional footballer
* [Vladimir Vasilj](/source/Vladimir_Vasilj) (born 1975), Croatian professional footballer

=== Variant ''Vasko'' ===
*[Vasko (surname)](/source/Vasko_(surname))

=== Variant ''Vasović'' ===
* ''see [Vasović](/source/Vasovi%C4%87)''

=== Variant ''Vassili'' ===
*[Amaury Vassili](/source/Amaury_Vassili) (born 1989), French singer

=== Variant ''Wasilewski'' ===
* ''see [Wasilewski](/source/Wasilewski)''
<!--no entries for variants Basel, Bassel, Basley, Basileo, Basilides, Basilie, Bazeel, Bazeelius, Bazelle, Bazyli, Breasal, Vasyl, Vaseleos, Vasileos, Vasilije, Vasilios, Vaso, Vassilios, Vasilius, Vasilus, Vasiliy, Vassilij, Vassily -->

==Fictional characters==
*Basil, protagonist of Wilkie Collins' 1852 novel ''[Basil](/source/Basil_(novel))''
*Basil, protagonist of the ''[Basil of Baker Street](/source/Basil_of_Baker_Street)'' novels and the movie ''[The Great Mouse Detective](/source/The_Great_Mouse_Detective)''
*Basil, a character in the television series ''[Fraggle Rock](/source/Fraggle_Rock)''
*[Basil Fawlty](/source/Basil_Fawlty), the main character in ''[Fawlty Towers](/source/Fawlty_Towers)''
*[Basil Brush](/source/Basil_Brush), a glove puppet fox popular on children's television in the UK
*Basil, main character of the Canadian children's show ''[Sesame Park](/source/Sesame_Park)''
*Basil, a character in the anime and manga series ''[Reborn!](/source/Reborn!)''
*Basil, a character in the Playhouse Disney TV series ''[Johnny and the Sprites](/source/Johnny_and_the_Sprites)''
*Basil Wombat, a character on ''[SeeMore's Playhouse](/source/SeeMore's_Playhouse)''
*Basil, a character in the breeding and farming game ''[Harvest Moon](/source/Harvest_Moon_(video_game))''
*Basil, a main character in the role-playing horror game ''[Omori](/source/Omori_(video_game))''
*Basil Hallward, the artist that paints the haunting portrait of Dorian Gray in Oscar Wilde's ''[The Picture of Dorian Gray](/source/The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray)''
*Basil the Bat Lord, an enemy racer in the video game ''[Lego Racers](/source/Lego_Racers_(video_game))''
*Basil Stag Hare, member of the Fur and Foot Fighting Patrol in Brian Jacques' ''[Redwall](/source/Redwall_(novel))''
*Sir Basil Hawkins, a character in a popular manga ''[One Piece](/source/One_Piece)''
*Basil Humphrey, Head of [Scotland Yard](/source/Scotland_Yard) from the film ''[Dracula's Daughter](/source/Dracula's_Daughter)''
*Basil Exposition, a character in the film ''[Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery](/source/Austin_Powers%3A_International_Man_of_Mystery)''
*Basil, Alex Delarge's snake from the film ''[A Clockwork Orange](/source/A_Clockwork_Orange_(film))''
*Basil Brightberry, the gentlemouse sommelier in the ''[Brambly Hedge](/source/Brambly_Hedge)'' series
*Basil Ransom, a Mississippi lawyer in Henry James's 1886 novel ''The Bostonians''
*Basil, a pirate in the film ''[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang](/source/Chitty_Chitty_Bang_Bang)''
*Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch, a character in the novel ''[Carry On](/source/Carry_On_(novel))'' by [Rainbow Rowell](/source/Rainbow_Rowell)
*Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, a character in the book ''[From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler](/source/From_the_Mixed-Up_Files_of_Mrs._Basil_E._Frankweiler)'' by [E. L. Konigsburg](/source/E._L._Konigsburg)
*Basil, a character from the children's series ''[Babar](/source/Babar_(TV_series))''
*Basil Steele, a character from the Welsh children's series ''[Fireman Sam](/source/Fireman_Sam)''

{{given name|type=both}}

Category:Surnames
Category:English given names
Category:English-language masculine given names
Category:English masculine given names
Category:Masculine given names
Category:Given names derived from plants or flowers
Category:Given names of Greek language origin

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Basil (name)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_(name)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_(name)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.