Wael
| Pronunciation | [ˈwæːˈel] or [ˈwæːˈil] or [ʋaː.il] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Arabic/Proto-Semitic |
| Region of origin | Arabia/Mesopotamia |
| Other names | |
| Alternative spelling | वाईल |
Wa'el, also spelt Wael or Wail (वाईल), is an ancient Aramaic male given name. The first currently known usage of the name was found and translated at a site called Sumatar Harabesi.[1] There is coinage and inscriptions mentioning a King of Edessa, the "Parthian Wael" and "Wael the king" (Syriac: W'L MLK') on coins around 163AD after the Parthians captured the region from the Romans.[2] The names' usage is pre-Islamic. The name's meaning origin is unknown, however, there are a few different definitions depending on how an ancient text was translated. These known meanings are "clan", "seeking shelter", and "protector".[3][4] Pronunciation differs based on the varieties of Arabic.
The given name Wael has seen limited usage in certain regions; for example, in the United States, there have been 100 years in which the name was either not recorded at all or given to fewer than five individuals—below the threshold required for inclusion in official naming statistics. The most recent such year was 1988. Overall, the name Wael remains relatively rare.[5]
In the United States, the given name Wael is notably rare. As of the most recent available data, only 27 individuals bear the name nationwide. These individuals are recorded in just three states—California, Michigan, and New York. It is important to note that state-level statistics are only reported when at least five individuals share the name in a given state, which may underrepresent its presence elsewhere. Among these, Michigan has the highest relative occurrence of the name Wael, although the frequency remains extremely low—approximately one in every 629,035 males.[6]
Notable people with the name include:
- Wael Abbas (born 1974), Egyptian blogger
- Wael Abdelgawad (born 1965), American author and martial artist
- Wael Al-Dahdouh (born 1970), Palestinian journalist
- Wael Badr (born 1978), Egyptian basketball player
- Wael Ghonim (born 1980), Egyptian computer engineer, author and activist
- Wael Gomaa (born 1975), Egyptian footballer
- Wael Hallaq (born 1955), Palestinian scholar of Islamic studies
- Wael Jassar (born 1976), Lebanese singer
- Wael Kfoury (born 1974), Lebanese singer
- Wael Nazha (born 1974), Lebanese footballer
- Wael Riad (born 1982), Egyptian footballer
- Wael Sawan (born 1974), Lebanese-Canadian business executive
- Wael Talaat (1964-2025), Egyptian snooker player
- Wael Zwaiter (1934-1972), Palestinian writer and translator
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References
[edit]- ^ Retso, Jan (2013-07-04). The Arabs in Antiquity: Their History from the Assyrians to the Umayyads. ISBN 9781136872891.
- ^ Millar, Near East, 112.
- ^ "What does Wael (Muslim Arabic Name) mean?".
- ^ "Wael - Islamic Name Meaning - Baby Names for Muslims".
- ^ https://firstnames.blog/firstnames/wael/
- ^ https://firstnames.blog/firstnames/wael/