I certainly did know Basil was a man's name, however I don't know of any!

In all honesty, I wouldn't name my child Basil, but that's just me. There are plenty of names I wouldn't use for my child, however if you have a strong connection to the name, use it!

FWIW, if this bub is a boy DH is adament it's middle name is going to be Noel, after his father. I really, really hate this name but DS's middle name is Dean, after my father, so it's only fair that if it turns out to be a boy, he gets the middle name of DH's father. So whilst I don't like the name, I have come to terms with the fact that it could be his middle name.

You have the advantage of liking the name and having a connection with it