Wa'el, 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. 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. 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". 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 Sawan (born 1974), Lebanese-Canadian business executive Wael Zwaiter, Palestinian translator Wael bar Sahru king of Edessa, Mesopotamia 163–165 AD Wail al-Shehri, Saudi al-Qaeda terrorist of American Airlines Flight 11 References Arabic masculine given names