Wali is an Arabic name meaning "guardian", "protector" or "friend". Al-Wali is one of the ninety-nine names of God in Islam, and in Sufi tradition a wali is a saint, a friend of God; the name is used from Morocco to Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the United States Wali ranked number 7380 in 2000, improved to a peak of number 2144 in 2016 and has settled in the high 2000s and low 3000s since, standing at number 2448 in 2025 with 56 boys.