Fun Facts About the Name Wale
- 77 babies named Wale: U.S. records list 77 babies given the name Wale from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Wale Mean?
Wale is a Yoruba name meaning "come home." It comes from the element wálé, a contraction of wá ("come") and ilé ("home" or "house"). In Yoruba usage, Wale is commonly a shortened form of a longer name that contains this element, such as Adéwale ("the crown has come home") or Olúwale ("God has come home"). As a stand-alone given name, its literal sense is simply "come home"; the fuller names add a subject - crown or God - to that phrase. The name is not related to the English word whale or to similar-looking European surnames.
Wale Name History & Origins
Wale belongs to the Yoruba language and naming tradition of southwestern Nigeria and neighboring areas of Benin and Togo. Yoruba names are often complete phrases, and many end with the element wálé, "come home." Full names such as Adéwale and Olúwale carry the phrase with a subject, while Wale is the familiar short form used in everyday speech. In Yoruba communities, shortening a longer name is a common practice, so Wale can stand alone as a given name even though its full meaning depends on the longer name it comes from. The name traveled with Yoruba speakers through migration and diaspora. The Nigerian-American rapper Wale (Olubowale Victor Akintimehin) uses the short form professionally; that is a contemporary public use, not the source of the name. The Yoruba given name is distinct from the English surname Wale and from the word whale.
How Popular is the Name Wale?
Wale has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2020. Its best rank was #6,594 in 2020.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #12,152 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #10,771 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2021 | #7,547 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #6,594 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2018 | #12,056 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #14,139 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #12,011 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #9,579 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #13,958 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #8,110 | 10 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with W
Short Boy Names That Start with W
How the Name Wale Shapes Your Personality and Life?
To express itself, you must follow the divine law of love. You have great persistence and hate to give up. You are a good mixer, charming, magnetic and intuitive. The spirituality is the key to success. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Wale's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Wale's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.