2000
#4,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,714
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.86
Rare Last name
Basile
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who ruled or was an authority figure, derived from "basileus" meaning "king".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,143 Americans carry the last name Basile. That puts it at #4,825 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,092 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Basile surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Basile with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.1K
1 in 42,092
Census rank
#4,825
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,101 bearers of the surname Basile in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4825th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Basile, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Basile
Among Census respondents with the surname Basile, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Basile bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Basile surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 6,361
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 338
- Black or African American2.6% · 183
- Two or more races2.1% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Basile
Basile appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,783
+69 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 2.64
Rank movement Down 307 places
2020
#4,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,101
-682 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Down 270 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,248 | 7,714 | 2.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,555 | 7,783 | 2.64 | +69 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 307 places |
| 2020 | #4,825 | 7,101 | 2.38 | -682 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 270 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Basile surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,555 | #4,825 | -5.9% |
| Count | 7,783 | 7,101 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.64 | 2.38 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Basile bearers went from 7,783 to 7,101 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 270 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,555 to #4,825.
FAQ
Basile surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Basile?
Name Census estimates that about 8,143 living Americans carry the surname Basile. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,092 residents.
How common is Basile?
Basile ranks #4,825 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,101 people with the surname Basile. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,143), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Basile.
Has Basile become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Basile went from 7,783 recorded bearers to 7,101. That is a decrease of 682 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,555 to #4,825.
What does the Census say about the background of Basile?
Among Census respondents with the surname Basile, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Basile in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (6,361 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Basile appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (4.8%), Black (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Basile (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Basile mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who ruled or was an authority figure, derived from "basileus" meaning "king". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Basile (2.38 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Basile?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.