Find out how popular the last name Basile is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Basile.

Basile, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Basile surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Basile in America

Basile is the 4555th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Basile surname appeared 7,783 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Basile.

We can also compare 2010 data for Basile to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Basile

The surname Basile is of Italian origin, stemming from the ancient Greek name Basileios, which means "kingly" or "royal." This name gained popularity during the Byzantine Empire, where it was often used to refer to members of the imperial family or those associated with the imperial court.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Basile can be traced back to southern Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania and Calabria, where it was first adopted by families with Greek roots or connections to the Byzantine Empire. The name's spread across Italy is closely tied to the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that occurred during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest documented references to the surname Basile can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval manuscripts from the Cava de' Tirreni monastery in Campania, dating back to the 11th century. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.

During the Renaissance period, several notable individuals bore the surname Basile. One such figure was Gian Battista Basile (1575-1632), an Italian writer and scholar who compiled a collection of Neapolitan fairy tales titled "Lo cunto de li cunti," which is considered a significant contribution to the development of the literary fairy tale genre.

Another prominent figure with the surname Basile was Giambattista Vico (1668-1744), an Italian philosopher, historian, and jurist, who is best known for his groundbreaking work "Principi di Scienza Nuova" (The New Science), which laid the foundations for modern social sciences and the study of human civilization.

In the 18th century, Giuseppe Luigi Basile (1760-1844) was an Italian architect and engineer who played a crucial role in the urban development of Naples. He designed several notable buildings, including the Teatro San Carlo, one of the oldest and most prestigious opera houses in Europe.

Jumping to the 20th century, the surname Basile was carried by Antonio Basile (1892-1977), an Italian painter and sculptor who was a prominent figure in the Futurist movement. His works, which often depicted dynamic scenes of modern life, can be found in numerous museums and galleries across Italy and beyond.

It is worth noting that the surname Basile has also been associated with various place names throughout Italy, such as Basili in Calabria and Basilicata, a region that likely derived its name from the same Greek root as the surname.

While the surname Basile has its roots in ancient Greece and the Byzantine Empire, it has become an integral part of Italian heritage and has been carried by numerous individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, including literature, philosophy, architecture, and art.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Basile

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Basile.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Basile was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Basile has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Basile was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Basile, please contact us.

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