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

Basilico, 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 Basilico surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Basilico in America

Basilico is the 109758th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Basilico surname appeared 161 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Basilico.

We can also compare 2010 data for Basilico 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 Basilico

The surname Basilico is of Italian origin, deriving from the Italian word "basilico," which means "basil." The name likely originated in the Middle Ages, between the 12th and 15th centuries, in regions where basil was cultivated and used as a culinary herb.

Basilico may have been an occupational surname, referring to individuals involved in the cultivation, trade, or use of basil. It could also have been a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived near a basil garden or who had a particular fondness for the herb.

In historical records, the surname Basilico appears in various spellings, such as Basilico, Bassilico, and Basilicho. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval charters from the Campania region of Italy, dating back to the 11th century.

Notably, the Basilico family played a significant role in the history of Naples. Giovanni Basilico, a prominent figure in the 15th century, served as a magistrate and ambassador for the Kingdom of Naples. Another member of the family, Girolamo Basilico (1494-1556), was a renowned Italian humanist and scholar.

In the 17th century, the Basilico family established itself in the Republic of Venice, where Vincenzo Basilico (1642-1721) became a respected lawyer and served as a judge in the city's judicial system.

Later, in the 19th century, Giuseppe Basilico (1782-1856) made his mark as a celebrated Italian painter, known for his landscapes and vedute (cityscape paintings) depicting scenes from Naples and its surroundings.

Another notable figure with the surname Basilico is Gabriele Basilico (1944-2013), an acclaimed Italian photographer renowned for his urban landscapes and architectural photography. His work has been exhibited in renowned galleries and museums worldwide.

The surname Basilico has also been associated with several place names in Italy, such as Basilico di Nizza Monferrato in the Piedmont region and Basilico di Cassano d'Adda in Lombardy, further highlighting the name's connection to the cultivation and significance of the basil herb.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Basilico

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

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 Basilico 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 Basilico 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 Basilico was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!