Veli

Veli is a Turkish and Finnish male given name, meaning guardian and brother in each language respectively. In Turkish, Veli is also an Arabic loanword meaning a "friend of God", and is the singular form of Evliya.

Veli is also a unisex name in South Africa in the Nguni language siSwati, shortened for names: Velaphi, Veliswa and Velile.

Given name

• Veli Acar, Turkish footballer
• Veli Kavlak, Austrian footballer
• Veli-Pekka Ketola, Finnish ice hockey player
• Veli Kızılkaya, Turkish footballer
• Veli Koota, Finnish boxer
• Veli Lampi, Finnish footballer
• Veli Lehtelä, Finnish rower
• Veli-Matti Lindström, Finnish ski jumper
• Veli Merikoski, Finnish politician and professor
• Veli Nieminen, Finnish gymnast and sports shooter
• Veli Paloheimo, Finnish tennis player
• Veli Saarinen, Finnish cross-country skier
• All pages that begin with "Veli"

Surname

• Adnan Veli (1916–1972), Turkish journalist, brother of poet Orhan Veli
• Gursel Veli (born 1982), Turkish-Bulgarian footballer
• Hacı Bayram-ı Veli (1352–1430), Turkish poet, founder of the Bayrami Sufi sect
• Haji Bektash Veli was an Islamic (Alevi) mystic, humanist and philosopher
• Orhan Veli (1914–1950), Turkish poet, born Orhan Veli Kanık
• Sultân Bayezid-î Velî was the oldest son and successor of Mehmed II

Mythologic people

• Veļi, dead-soul spirits in Latvian mythology

Places

• Veli, short name of Croatian village Veli Lošinj
• Veli, former name of the Armenian town Tsaghkavan, Tavush

See also

• Wali
• Auliya