Masculine dossier · first seen 1880
Basil
Resurgent
Gaining cultural share
Peak era
1924
Peak births
281
Current vitality
Rare
Peak generation
Greatest Generation
Quick answers about Basil
How many people are named Basil?
An estimated 5,126 living Americans are named Basil.
How rare is Basil?
Basil is uncommon among babies today, with 74 boys receiving the name in 2025, down 73.7% from its 1924 peak.
How old is the typical Basil?
The median age of a living American named Basil is approximately 44 years, with most bearers falling between 23 and 66 years old.
Is Basil still popular?
Yes — Basil is currently rising in popularity, with 74 births in 2025. Births this decade are running about 1.4× higher than the previous decade.
Where is Basil most common?
Basil has its strongest geographic signal in West Virginia, where it appears 7.6× more often than the national baseline.
1880Peak 19242025
Peak year
1924
Decline from peak
73.7%
2025
74
All-time
13,172
Where it lives now
Basil is most concentrated in West Virginia — about 7.6× the national rate in the 1940s.
States where Basil is given more often than the national average — its present-day heartland.