| ![Show Contents]() Basil History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
England
France Etymology of BasilWhat does the name Basil mean? It was among those Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled over Britain that the name Basil was formed. The name was derived from Basile, which means royal. There is some disagreement about this name's origin. While the Anglo-Saxon reference is strong, there is strong evidence that the name could have been derived from the name Bezilles, from Biszeilles in Flanders. In this case, the name could have landed in England and settled in Berkshire where the local Besselsleigh was their ancient homestead. Early Origins of the Basil familyThe surname Basil was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire in Bashall-Eaves, a township, in the parish of Mitton, union of Clitheroe, W. division of the wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross. "This place has been variously designated Beckshalgh, Batsalve, Bakesholf, and Bashalll; but the first orthography is the true one, viz., Beckshalgh, or 'the hill by the brooks,' which agrees precisely with its situation: in Domesday Book it is styled Baschelf. " 1 Early History of the Basil familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Basil research. Another 221 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1219, 1251, 1273, 1500, 1674 and 1675 are included under the topic Early Basil History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Basil Spelling VariationsUntil the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Basil include Basile, Bassil, Basil, Basill, Bassal, Basall, Basilie, Basille, Bazill, Bazil and many more. Early Notables of the Basil familyDistinguished members of the family include - William Basille, a prominent 13th century landholder in Norfolk
Basil RankingIn the United States, the name Basil is the 13,855th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2
| Basil migration to the United States | + |
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Basil were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:
Basil Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- John Basil, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 3
- Winnefred Basil who arrived in Boston in 1849
| Contemporary Notables of the name Basil (post 1700) | + |
- Richard Basil (b. 1967), American former head football coach at Savannah State University
- Toni Basil (b. 1943), stage name of Antonia Christina Basilotta, an American singer-songwriter, actress, filmmaker, film director, choreographer, and dancer, best known for her multi-million selling worldwide No. 1 hit "Mickey" from 1982
- Stephen John Basil (1893-1962), American Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the American League from 1936 to 1942
- Sam Basil (1969-2022), Papua New Guinean politician, Member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea from 2007, representing the electorate of Bulolo Open, until his death in 2022, Treasurer of Papua New Guinea
- Alfred Basil Lubbock MC (1876-1944), British historian, sailor and soldier and prolific writer on the last generation of commercial sailing vessels in the Age of Sail
- Horace Basil Barlow FRS (1921-2020), British visual neuroscientist
- Benjamin Basil Heatley (1933-2019), British silver medalist marathon runner at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Alvadon Basil Williams (1949-2015), West Indian cricketer who played in seven Tests from 1978 to 1979
- Charles Basil Foster (1923-2017), English-born Canadian publicist, newspaper editor, author and songwriter
- Sir Arthur Basil Markham (1866-1916), 1st Baronet of Beachborough Park, Kent, English peer, English industrialist and politician
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
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