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).
It was brought to England by the Crusaders, having been common in the eastern Mediterranean. It is more often used in Britain and Europe than in the United States. It is also the name of
a common herb.
In
Arabic,
Bas(s)el (باسل,
bāsil) is a name for boys and girls that means "brave, fearless, intrepid".
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Different 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;
Vasily in Russian;
Bazil, Bazsó, Vászoly and Vazul in Hungarian.
en.wikipedia.org
