Walee
An Arabic name meaning protector, guardian, or custodian.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Walee. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Walee today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Walee births was 2008 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Walee. 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 Walee. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2008
5 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2008 SSA rank
#14,508
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Walee: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Walee 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 Walee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Walee
The name Walee finds its origins in the Arabic language and culture, with its earliest known use dating back to the 7th century AD. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "waliy," which means "friend," "protector," or "guardian." This name was particularly popular among Muslim communities in the Middle East and North Africa during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Walee can be found in the writings of the renowned Islamic scholar and historian, Al-Tabari (838-923 AD). In his historical chronicles, he mentions a companion of the Prophet Muhammad named Walee ibn Hujr, who lived in the 7th century AD and played a significant role in the early Muslim community.
During the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 AD), the name Walee gained further prominence, with several notable figures bearing this name. One such individual was Walee ibn Ata (749-808 AD), a respected jurist and scholar who was born in Medina and later served as a judge in Baghdad.
In the 12th century, Walee ibn al-Muqri (1113-1196 AD) was a renowned Arabic calligrapher and scholar from Mosul, Iraq. His work on the art of calligraphy was highly influential and his masterpieces can be found in various museums and collections around the world.
Moving forward in history, the name Walee continued to be used across the Muslim world. In the 14th century, Walee al-Din Abul-Fazl Abdur Rahman (1272-1349 AD) was a prominent Sufi mystic and scholar from India. He is known for his contributions to the spread of Islamic teachings and the promotion of spiritual enlightenment in the region.
Another notable figure with the name Walee was Walee Khan (1667-1707 AD), a celebrated military commander and governor of the Mughal Empire in India during the reign of Aurangzeb. He played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of the empire's territories in the late 17th century.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and significance associated with the name Walee. Throughout the centuries, individuals bearing this name have left their mark in various fields, from religion and scholarship to literature, art, and politics, further solidifying the cultural and historical relevance of this ancient Arabic name.
People
Walee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Walee 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
Walee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Walee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Walee 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 Walee a common name?
We classify Walee 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 Walee most popular?
The single biggest year for Walee was 2008, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Walee is about 18 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 Walee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Walee a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Walee 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 Walee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Walee 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 Walee 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 Walee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.