Vasili as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Vasili

What is the meaning of the name Vasili ?

The baby name Vasili is a boy name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced vah-SEE-lee.

Vasili is Greek, Russian in Origin.

Vasili is a Slavic and Greek form of Ancient Greek Basileios, the earliest established personal-name form, built on basileus, king. The -eios ending forms an adjective of belonging or quality, so Basileios signified royal or kingly. In medieval and modern Greek pronunciation, beta shifted to v, giving Vasilios or Vasilis; Russian Василий is normally romanized Vasily, Vasiliy, or Vasili.

The name entered Christian naming chiefly through Saint Basil the Great, the fourth-century bishop of Caesarea, whose Greek cult became central in Byzantine and Orthodox calendars. From Byzantium it passed into South Slavic and East Slavic use, appearing among Russian rulers such as Vasili III and Vasili IV. Greek forms include Vasileios and Vasilis; Slavic relatives include Vasil, Vasyl, and Vasily, with Vasya as a Russian diminutive. In English-speaking countries Vasili remains uncommon beside Basil and the standard Russian transliteration Vasily.