MEANING & CONTEXT
What does Wali mean?
Arabic walī expresses closeness, guardianship and protection. In devotional usage it can denote a saint or friend of God.
Spellings in Indian scripts
Devanagari
वली
Conventional spelling
Arabic
ولي
Conventional spelling
HISTORICAL VOTER RECORDS
Wali in Indian usage
25,868 historical electoral-roll records, chiefly adults, rather than current baby-name rankings.
Used for both boys and girls in these historical records; the recorded sex does not determine anyone’s identity.
- Recorded as female: 14,087 records (54.5%).
- Recorded as male: 11,781 records (45.5%).
By birth decade
| Birth decade | Records |
|---|---|
| 1930s | 1,116 |
| 1940s | 2,452 |
| 1950s | 3,611 |
| 1960s | 4,467 |
| 1970s | 4,897 |
| 1980s | 5,901 |
| 1990s | 3,122 |
| Other decades | 302 |
By state or territory
| State / territory | Records |
|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | 9,892 |
| Rajasthan | 7,434 |
| Bihar | 2,794 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 2,152 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 1,018 |
| Jharkhand | 921 |
| Maharashtra | 874 |
| Haryana | 298 |
| Gujarat | 226 |
| Other states | 259 |
How to read these numbers
Small counts and a second count where needed are withheld for privacy; an omitted value is not zero. Coverage, dates and suppression.
Recorded abroad
Official births registered in 2025, for the exact spelling shown.
| Jurisdiction | Spelling / recorded sex | Births | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| England & Wales | Wali / M | 27 | 1,093 |
ONS and National Records of Scotland; Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3. Counts follow each office’s publication rules.
Explore related lists
Sources
- Historical Indian voter-record totals, v3 ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Historical usage; CC0 1.0; birth years 1910–2001
- England & Wales 2025 birth statistics: Exact spelling Wali; Table_6, C1128 ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Exact spelling Wali; Table_6, C1128