Wakeel
An Arabic masculine name meaning agent or representative.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Wakeel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wakeel today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wakeel births was 1981 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wakeel. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wakeel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1981
5 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1981 SSA rank
#7,250
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Wakeel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Wakeel by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Wakeel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Wakeel
The name Wakeel is derived from the Arabic language and has its origins in the Middle East. It is a variation of the word "wakil," which means "representative" or "agent" in Arabic. The name can be traced back to the 7th century CE, when the Arabic language and Islamic culture began to spread across the region.
The earliest known references to the name Wakeel can be found in ancient Arabic texts and manuscripts. It was commonly used as a title or honorific for individuals who represented or acted on behalf of others, particularly in legal or administrative matters. The name gained popularity during the Islamic Golden Age, when the Arabic language and culture flourished across the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Wakeel was Wakeel ibn Abi Bakr al-Maghribi, a 9th-century Arabic scholar and poet from present-day Tunisia. Another notable figure was Wakeel al-Dawlah, a 10th-century Persian vizier and military commander who served under the Buyid dynasty.
In the 12th century, Wakeel al-Rizq was a prominent Sufi mystic and scholar from Iran, known for his teachings on spirituality and the inner journey. During the 13th century, Wakeel Khan was a powerful military leader and statesman who served under the Delhi Sultanate in India.
One of the most famous figures with the name Wakeel was Wakeel Khan Bahadur, an 18th-century Mughal general and governor who played a significant role in the expansion of the Mughal Empire in India. He was born in 1704 and served under the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
Throughout history, the name Wakeel has been associated with individuals who were trusted representatives, agents, or intermediaries in various fields, including law, administration, diplomacy, and military affairs. Its Arabic roots and connection to Islamic culture have contributed to its enduring popularity in many parts of the world, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia.
People
Wakeel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wakeel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wakeel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wakeel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wakeel going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Wakeel a common name?
We classify Wakeel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wakeel most popular?
The single biggest year for Wakeel was 1981, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wakeel is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Wakeel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wakeel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wakeel in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Wakeel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wakeel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Wakeel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Wakeel?
Want to know how many people have the name Wakeel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.