Total births
13,172
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.
- #2013
- among boys today
- 13,172
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 86%
- more common than other boys
Basil currently ranks #2013 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 #2013 nationally today, ahead of 86% 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.
- #2013 among boys today
- 13,172 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 86% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Basil is currently the #2013 boys' name in America, more common than 86% of boys - 13,172 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2013
- among boys today
- 13,172
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 86%
- more common than other boys
Basil vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#2013
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 86% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
19% of everyone ever named Basil was born in this single decade.
1924
Single peak year
281 babies were named Basil in 1924 - its busiest year on record.
How Basil compares
13,172 Top 7% higher than 93% of 14,294 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 (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 13,172 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 281 | 23 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1924
Current rank
#2,013
Active since
1880
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
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% |
New York share of Basil's total US births 8.4%
Even split
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? ▼
Basil has been given to 13,172 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #2013 as of the latest data. 281 babies were born in 1924, its single highest year.
When was Basil most popular? ▼
Basil was most popular in the 1920s decade with 2,451 total births. The single peak year was 1924.
Where is Basil most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Basil are New York (1,104 births), Pennsylvania (853 births), West Virginia (739 births).
How long has the name Basil been used? ▼
Records for Basil go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Basil? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Bastian, Basilio, Bashir, Bascom, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Bastian Boy
#1003 2,614 births
Basilio Boy
#5920 1,809 births
Bashir Boy
#4768 1,035 births
Bascom Boy
731 births
Bassam Boy
#4244 600 births
Compare Basil side by side: Basil vs Bastian Basil vs Basilio Basil vs Bashir
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Basil
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Basil: #2013 Boys' Name - 13,172 Births, Peak 1924." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/basil. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.