Wael

Wa'el, also spelt Wael, 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 name Wael remains relatively rare.^[5]

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