Names / Boy names
Basil
Current rank
#2,022
holding steady
All-time peak
#322
in 1897
First recorded
1880
in U.S. data
Children named
13,500
since 1880
Popularity over time
Annual U.S. children given the name · Peak #322 in 1897 · Source: Social Security Administration
Meaning & background
. Royal herb. Stateside, it first shows up in 1880. 1897 marked its high point, reaching #322. It now sits outside the national top 1,000, which keeps it uncommon. Over 13,500 have carried it since records began.