Wakim
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wakim آل يواكيم Yowakim; Youakim; Yowakeem | |
|---|---|
| Levantine Christian clan | |
.png) | |
| Current region | Lebanon (Mount Lebanon, Beqaa, Zahlé, Jezzine, Tripoli) & Palestine/Israel (Jerusalem area, Galilee, coastal cities) |
| Etymology | From Hebrew Yehoyaqim (Jehoiakim) “(Yahweh) has raised (up)” → Arabic يواكيم (Yowakim)[1][2] |
| Place of origin | Lower Galilee / Jerusalem region (present-day Israel/Palestine); extended into Lebanon (Mount Lebanon, Beqaa) |
| Founded | c. 2nd–4th century (tradition) |
| Founder | St. Joachim (tradition) |
| Members | Saba Youakim; Najah Wakim; Bishara Wakim; Emil Wakim |
| Traditions | Maronite Church; Melkite Greek Catholic Church; Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch |
Wakim (also transliterated as Yowakim, Youakim, or Yowakeem) is a Levantine Christian family surname historically rooted in lower Galilee, modern day Lebanon and Palestine/Israel, with branches documented in Mount Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley (notably Zahlé) and in the Jerusalem area.
Over the centuries, members of the clan have consistently held notable positions in church leadership and public life including Eftimios Youakim who participated in all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council as Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Zahle and Forzol (1926–1971), and Saba Youakim, Archbishop of Archeparchy of Petra and Philadelphia in Amman (1968–1992).
In politics, Najah Wakim served as a Lebanese Member of Parliament (1972–2000) and later founded the People’s Movement, remaining a notable public figure.[3][4][5] In the Holy Land, members of the family are recorded in Emmaus al-Qubeibeh near Jerusalem;[6] in recent years, a Wakim household has been described as the village’s only remaining Christian family.[7]
The clan's origins are relatively well-documented, with Maronite and Greek Orthodox records tracing their lineage to before the Islamic conquest of the Levant.[8][9] The name itself believed to derive from the Hebrew Yehoyaqim (rendered as Joachim in Christian tradition), meaning “raised” or “established by God.”[10]
For centuries, the family has traditionally been associated with the Desposyni, the early Judeo-Christian families regarded as relatives of Jesus. According to continuously preserved genealogical records dating to 112 AD, contemporary Yowakim's from the Galilee region are direct descendants of Jude, the brother of Jesus of Nazareth. [11][12][13]
Notable people with the surname include:
- Bishara Wakim (1890–1949), Egyptian director and actor
- Chris Wakim, former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
- Emil Wakim (born 1998), Lebanese-American comedian and actor
- Najah Wakim (born 1946), president and one of the founders of the Lebanese leftist group the People's Movement
- Sam Wakim (born 1937), Canadian lawyer and former Progressive Conservative party member of the Canadian House of Commons
