| Evander | Basil | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Good man | kingly, royal |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ee-VAN-der | BAZ-il |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1888 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (389) | 1924 (281) |
| In 2025 | 389 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Evander | Basil |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,870 | 444 |
| 2010s | 1,108 | 548 |
| 2000s | 309 | 537 |
| 1990s | 400 | 661 |
| 1980s | 95 | 572 |
| 1970s | 28 | 577 |
| 1960s | 44 | 873 |
| 1950s | 72 | 1,090 |
| 1940s | 54 | 1,293 |
| 1930s | 54 | 1,705 |
| 1920s | 83 | 2,451 |
| 1910s | 66 | 1,719 |
| 1900s | 0 | 334 |
| 1890s | 12 | 244 |
| 1880s | 5 | 124 |
Evander means “good man” in Greek.
From Greek 'basileios', meaning 'kingly, royal', derived from 'basileus' ('king'). Carried by Saint Basil the Great. The sense is the adjective 'royal/kingly' rather than the noun 'king'. (The herb shares the same root.)
Evander is more popular than Basil today: about 389 US babies were given the name Evander in 2025, compared with 0 named Basil.
Evander means Good man (Greek origin), while Basil means kingly, royal (greek origin).
In US records, Evander first appears in 1888 and Basil in 0, so Basil has the longer recorded history.