Basil (name)

Basil
Basil of Caesarea
Pronunciation/ˈbæzəl/ BAZ-əl, /ˈbɑːsəl/ BAH-səl
GenderMale
Origin
Word/nameGreek, Arabic
Meaning"royal, kingly, brave, valiant, chivalrous" in Greek; "brave, fearless, intrepid" in Arabic
Other names
Related namesBarsegh, Basel, Basile, Basileo, Basilio, Basílio, Basilius, Bassel, Bazil, Bazsó, Bażilju, Vasil, Vasile, Vasilije, Vasily, Vassilios, Vasyl, Vászoly, Vazul

The name Basil (royal, kingly) comes from the male Greek name Vassilios (Greek: Βασίλειος, female version Bασιλεία), 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 basil (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).

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

Notable people with the name include:

Rulers

Generals

Religious figures

Variant Baselios

Variant Basilides

Given name

Surname

Variant Bacile

Variant Baseley

Variant Basile

Variant Basilio

Variant Basilius

Variant Basilone

Variant Bassil

Variant Bazeley

Variant Bazell

Variant Bazil

Variant Bazley

Variant Pasi

Variant Vasil

Variant Vasile

Variant Vasili

Variant Vasilj

Variant Vasko

Variant Vasović

Variant Vassili

Variant Wasilewski

Fictional characters

This page or section lists people that share the same given name or the same family name.
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