Wael

Wa'el (Arabic: وائل), also spelt Wael or Wail, 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, though it is a common misconception to depict it as Muslim in origin due to the names use in the Quran.[3] 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".[4][5] Pronunciation differs based on the varieties of Arabic.

Notable people with the name include:

• Wael Abbas, Egyptian blogger
• Wael Abdelgawad, American author and martial artist
• Wael Al-Dahdouh, Palestinian journalist
• Wael Badr, Egyptian basketball player
• Wael Ghonim, Egyptian computer engineer, author and activist
• Wael Gomaa, Egyptian footballer
• Wael Jassar, Lebanese singer
• Wael Kfoury, Lebanese singer
• Wael Nazha, Lebanese footballer
• Wael Riad, Egyptian footballer
• Wael Zwaiter, Palestinian translator
• Wael bar Sahru king of Edessa, Mesopotamia 163–165 AD[6]
• Wail al-Shehri, Saudi al-Qaeda terrorist of American Airlines Flight 11