Wali
Guardian, protector; a devout or orthodox Muslim.
Name Census estimates that about 1,159 living Americans carry the first name Wali. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wali today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wali births was 2016 (65 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wali. 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.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 295,733 Americans
Peak year
2016
65 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,314
Tracked since 1951
Popularity
Wali: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wali from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 350 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Wali remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wali 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 Wali during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Walis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. New Jersey, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Wali, while Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 44 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Wali
The name Wali has its origins in Arabic and has been in use for centuries. It is derived from the Arabic word "waliy" which means "protector," "guardian," or "friend of God." The name is deeply rooted in Islamic culture and tradition.
In the Islamic tradition, the term "wali" is often used to refer to saints, holy figures, or those who have achieved a high level of spiritual enlightenment. It is believed that these individuals have a close relationship with God and serve as intermediaries between the divine and the mortal realms.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Wali can be found in the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. It is mentioned in several verses, often in reference to those who have attained a state of spiritual purity and closeness to God.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Wali. One of the most renowned was Wali al-Din Rumi (1207-1273), a Persian poet and Sufi mystic whose works, such as the Masnavi, have had a profound influence on Islamic spirituality and literature.
Another prominent figure was Wali Muhammad (1642-1712), a Mughal prince and military commander who played a significant role in the expansion of the Mughal Empire in South Asia.
In the realm of Islamic scholarship, Wali al-Din al-Farisi (d. 1318) was a renowned philosopher and theologian who made significant contributions to the study of Islamic jurisprudence and metaphysics.
Wali Khan (1917-1998) was a prominent political leader from Pakistan who fought for the rights of the Pashtun people and was instrumental in the formation of the Awami National Party.
Wali Bahadur Puar (1820-1857) was an Indian ruler and military commander who played a crucial role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Wali, a name that carries with it a rich cultural and spiritual significance in the Islamic tradition.
People
Wali + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wali 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
Wali: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wali?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,159 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wali 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 295,733 US residents.
Is Wali a common name?
We classify Wali as "Rare". It ranks above 91% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,192 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wali most popular?
The single biggest year for Wali was 2016, when 65 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wali is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Wali a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wali 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.
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.