{{Infobox given name | name = Wa'el | image= | imagesize= | caption= | pronunciation= {{IPA|ar|ˈwæːˈel|}} <br> or {{IPA|ar|ˈwæːˈil|}} <br> | gender = Male | meaning = | region = Arabia/Mesopotamia | origin = Arabic/Aramaic/Proto-Semitic | related names = | footnotes = | wikt = }}
'''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.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uq2_tK0L2g4C&q=wael+kind+of+edessa&pg=RA2-PT506 | title=The Arabs in Antiquity: Their History from the Assyrians to the Umayyads| isbn=9781136872891| last1=Retso| first1=Jan| date=2013-07-04}}</ref> 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.<ref>Millar, Near East, 112.</ref> 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".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://imuslim.name/4409-meaning-Wael-muslim-arabic-names.html|title=What does Wael (Muslim Arabic Name) mean?}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://quranicnames.com/wael/|title=Wael - Islamic Name Meaning - Baby Names for Muslims}}</ref> Pronunciation differs based on the varieties of Arabic.
The name Wael remains relatively rare.<ref>https://firstnames.blog/firstnames/wael/</ref>
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
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{given name}} Category:Arabic-language masculine given names Category:Masculine given names