Boys' name · since 1880
Basil
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 13,172 babies named Basil, peaking in 1924. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,038 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,022 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 13,172
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Basil currently ranks #2022 among boys' names in America, with 13,172 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Basil recorded 13,172 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #2022 nationally today, ahead of 85% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,038 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,022 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 13,172 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Basil ranks #1,038 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,022 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 13,172 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,038 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,022 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 13,172
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Basil's 13,172 recorded births place it above 97.71% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
34 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Basil compares
13,172 Top 8% higher than 92% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Basil's all-time total is 36x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Basil | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 13,172 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 281 | 34 | 22,252 |
Basil's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Basil splits its recorded history at 1953: 38% of all births land in the more recent half, 62% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1883 (8 births) -- compare that against the 1924 peak of 281 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Basil popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1924)
- 281
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Basil popularity over time - girls
366 total births recorded since 1919 (Basil as girls' name)
Basil by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (2,451 births, 19% of the file).
1920s was Basil's strongest decade.
2,451 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Basil births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 124
1880s
124 births
- 1890s 244
1890s
244 births
- 1900s 334
1900s
334 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,719 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,451 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,705 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,293 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,090 births
- 1960s 873
1960s
873 births
- 1970s 577
1970s
577 births
- 1980s 572
1980s
572 births
- 1990s 661
1990s
661 births
- 2000s 537
2000s
537 births
- 2010s 548
2010s
548 births
- 2020s 444
2020s
444 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 2,451 births (19% of all-time use).
How Basil compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Basil's total volume
Basil by state
Where Basil concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,104 | 8.4% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 853 | 6.5% |
| #3 | West Virginia | | 739 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 530 | 4.0% |
| #5 | California | | 456 | 3.5% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 434 | 3.3% |
| #7 | Texas | | 362 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Missouri | | 328 | 2.5% |
1,104 of 13,172 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 34 reporting states.
Basil appears in 34 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Basil? ▼
Where does Basil sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Basil most popular? ▼
Where is Basil most popular? ▼
How long has the name Basil been used? ▼
What names are similar to Basil? ▼
What to do with Basil's data
- Basil's decade-level peak was the 1920s (2,451 total births); usage has since declined to 444 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Basils (1,104 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Basil
Nearby Names Like Basil
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Basil
Compare Basil side by side: Basil vs Bastian Basil vs Basilio Basil vs Bashir
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Basil
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Basil: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1924)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Basil draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.