Khalil or Khaleel (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: خليل) means ''friend'' and is a common male first name in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

, the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

and among Muslims in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

and as such is also a common

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

. It is also used amongst

Turkic peoples The Turkic peoples are a collection of diverse ethnic groups of West, Central, East, and North Asia as well as parts of Europe, who speak Turkic languages.. "Turkic peoples, any of various peoples whose members speak languages belonging t ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

. The female counterpart of this name is Khalila or Khaleela.

In other languages

The following names can be interpreted as ''Khalil'': *

: Khalil, Khaleel, Halil, Khelil ( Ar: خليل) *

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: Khalil ( He: חליל) *

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: Khalil ( Fa: خلیل) * Azerbaijani: Xəlil *

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

: Xelîl *

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

Halil Halil is a common Turkish male given name. It is equivalent to the Arabic given name and surname Khalil or its variant Khaleel. Notable persons with the name include: * Halil Akbunar (born 1993), Turkish footballer * Halil Akkaş (born 1983), ...

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

: Kholil (খলিল), Khalil (খালিল), Khaleel (খালীল)

Persons with the given name

Khaleel

Khaleel Mamoon Khaleel ur Rehman (born 1948) from the Indian state of Karnataka, is better known by his pen name Khaleel Mamoon is a noted Urdu poet whose poetry collection Aafaaq ki Taraf won the 2011 Sahitya Akademi Award for works in Urdu. Life and career ...

(born 1948), Urdu poet *

Khaleel-Ur-Rehman Azmi Khaleel-Ur-Rehman Azmi (9 August 1927 – 1 June 1978), also known as Khalil al-Rehman Azmi, was an Urdu poet and literary critic who was born in the village Seedhan Sultanpur in the district of Azamgarh. Azmi's father Muhammad Shafi was a deep ...

(1927–1978), Urdu poet

Al-Khalil

Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi Abu ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān al-Khalīl ibn Aḥmad ibn ‘Amr ibn Tammām al-Farāhīdī al-Azdī al-Yaḥmadī ( ar, أبو عبدالرحمن الخليل بن أحمد الفراهيدي; 718 – 786 CE), known as Al-Farāhīdī, or Al-Khalīl, ...

: an 8th-century Muslim scholar best known as the author of ''Kitab al-'Ayn''

Khalil

Khalil bey Khasmammadov Khalil bey Khasmammadov ( az, Xəlil bəy Xasməmmədov; 1873–1945) was an Azerbaijani people, Azerbaijani public figure, politician and diplomat. He served as a Member of the First and Second State Duma of the Russian Empire, Minister of Inter ...

(born 1870 0r 1873), Azerbaijani Politician *

Khalil (actor) Khalil was an Indian cinema actor of silent and talkie films. He achieved stardom with silent films like ''Gul-E-Bakavali'' (1924), ''Kulin Kanta'' (1925), and ''Lanka Ni Laadi'' (1925) which was a major success commercially. His other successes ...

(1903–1941), Indian actor *

Khalil (singer) Khalil Amir Sharieff (born November 22, 1994), is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and rapper from Sacramento, California. Music career In 2008, He worked under the auspices of L.A. Reid to record some material in Florida after being disc ...

(born 1994), American singer *

Khalil Abou Hamad Khalil Abou Hamad (1936–1992) was a Lebanese lawyer who served as the minister of foreign affairs in the period 1970–1973. Biography Abou Hamad was born in 1936. He hailed from a Greek Catholic family. He was a lawyer by profession and foun ...

(1936–1992), Lebanese lawyer and politician *

Khalil Ahmed Khalil Ahmed (3 March 1936 – 22 July 1997) was a Pakistani composer for radio, television, and films. He started his career with film ''Aanchal (1962)'' and remained one of the leading music directors in Pakistan in the 1960s. He composed ...

(1936–1997), Pakistani composer *

Khalil Azmi Khalil Azmi (born 23 August 1964) is a retired Moroccan football goalkeeper. He played ten seasons in the Moroccan League, two in the USISL, two in the National Professional Soccer League, one in the A-League and one in Major League Soccer. ...

(born 1964), Moroccan footballer *

Khalil Bass Khalil Bass (born June 2, 1990) is a former gridiron football linebacker. He was previously a player in the Canadian Football League, where he made his debut with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2015, and also played for the Ottawa Redblacks and T ...

(born 1990), American football player *

Khalil Davis Khalil Davis (born August 22, 1996) is an American football defensive tackle for the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at Nebraska. College career A four-star recruit, Davis committed t ...

(born 1996), American football player * Khalil Dorsey (born 1998), American football player *

Khalil Fong Khalil Fong (Chinese: 方大同; born 14 July 1983) is a Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter and producer. The biographical film La Bamba, about the life and career of Ritchie Valens, greatly influenced Fong's decision to become a mu ...

(born 1983), Hong Kong singer and songwriter *

Kahlil Gibran Gibran Khalil Gibran ( ar, جُبْرَان خَلِيل جُبْرَان, , , or , ; January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931), usually referred to in English as Kahlil Gibran (pronounced ), was a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist ...

(1883–1931), Lebanese-American artist, poet and writer *

Khalil Greene Khalil Thabit Greene (born October 21, 1979) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals. Baseball career High school and college Greene playe ...

, American baseball player * Khalil Herbert (born 1998), American football player * Khalil al-Hibri, Lebanese politician *

Khalil ibn Ishaq al-Jundi Khalil ibn Ishaq al-Jundi (died ), also known as ''Sidi'' Khalil, was an Egyptian jurisprudent in Maliki Islamic law who taught in Medina and Cairo. His Mukhtasar, known as the "''Mukhtasar'' of Khalil", is considered an epitome of shariah law ac ...

(died 14th-century), Egyptian jurisprudent *

Khalil Mobasher Kashani Grand Ayatollah Khalil Mobasher Kashani (Persian: خلیل مبشر کاشانی) (born 1951) is an Iranian Twelver Shi'a Marja. He studied in seminaries in Qum, Iran under Grand Ayatollah Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani and Jawad Tabrizi. See al ...

(born 1951), Iranian Shia Cleric *

Khalil Kain Khalil Kain is an American actor, film producer and rapper best known for his role as Raheem Porter in the 1992 crime thriller film ''Juice'' and as the second Darnell Wilkes on the UPN/CW sitcom '' Girlfriends'' (2001–2008). He is also known fo ...

(born 1964), American actor * Khalil Khamis (footballer, born 1992) (born 1992), Emirati footballer * Khalil Khamis (footballer, born 1995) (born 1995), Lebanese footballer *

Khalil Mack Khalil Delshon Mack (; born February 22, 1991) is an American football outside linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Buffalo, and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the ...

(born 1991), American football player *

Khalil Maleki Khalil Maleki ( fa, خلیل ملکی; 1901–1969) was an Iranian socialist political figure and intellectual affiliated with the National Front. Political career and activities During the early 1940s, Maleki had been one of 53 left-wing intelle ...

(1903–1969), Iranian politician *

Khalil Mamut Khalil Mamut is a Uyghur refugee, imprisoned for seven years at the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba. The US Department of Defense estimated that Mamut was born in Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, in 1977 and assigned him the Guan ...

(born 1977), Uyghur refugee * Khalil el-Moumni (1941–2020), Moroccan imam * Khalil Paden (born 1989), American football player *

Khalil Ramos Khalil Joseph Nepomuceno Ramos (; born January 22, 1996) is a Filipino actor and singer. In July 2011, Ramos won second place on ''Pilipinas Got Talent'', a reality talent show in ABS-CBN and became a recording artist under Star Magic. In 201 ...

(born 1996), Filipino actor *

Khalil Rashow Khalil Rashow or Xelîl Cindî Reşo (born 1952) is a contemporary Kurdish academic, writer and researcher. He was born in the village of '' Mam Rasha'' in district of ''Sheikhan'' in Mosul province in northern Iraq. From 1970 to 1974 he studied ...

(born 1952), Yazidi-Kurdish academic *

Khalil Rountree Jr. Khalil Ibn Rountree Jr. (born February 26, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Light heavyweight (MMA), light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Rountree was born in ...

, (born 1990), American mixed martial artist *

Khalil al-Sakakini Khalil Sakakini ( ar, خليل السكاكيني; 23 January 1878 – 13 August 1953) was a Palestinian Orthodox Christian teacher, scholar, poet, and Arab nationalist. Biography Khalil Sakakini was born into a Palestinian Christian family ...

(1878–1953), Palestinian academic *

Khalil Shakir Khalil Shakir (born February 3, 2000) is an American football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boise State. High school career Shakir attended Vista Murrieta High School i ...

(born 2000), American football player * Khalil Taleghani (1912–1992), Iranian engineer and politician *

Khalil Tate Khalil Tate (born October 23, 1998) is an American gridiron football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was most recently a member of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). After playing quarterback at the Univers ...

(born 1998), American football player *Khalil Tatem (born 1997), Filipino-Canadian rapper known professionally as Killy * Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, American serial killer * Khalil Yosef Danker (born 1984), Israeli actor, singer and model

Khelil

Khelil Bouhageb Khelil Bouhageb (27 August 1863 in Tunis – 8 February 1942 in La Marsa) was a Tunisian politician and reformer. He served as Prime Minister of Tunisia The prime minister of Tunisia ( ar, رئيس حكومة تونس, ra’īs ḥukūmat Tūnis ...

(1863-1942), Tunisian politician and reformer

Persons with the surname

Khaleel

*Bob Khaleel, American hip hop artist, better known by his stage name

Bronx Style Bob Robert "Bob" Khaleel, better known by his stage name Bronx Style Bob, is an American rapper from the Bronx, New York City. Early life Raised in a strict Arab-Jamaican immigrant household, Bob was exposed to the work of poets such as Langston ...

Ibrahim Khaleel Ibrahim Khaleel is an Indian cricketer who played as a wicket-keeper for Hyderabad and former captain of the United States national cricket team. A right-handed batsman, Khaleel made his first-class debut in 2002. In 2007, he opted to participate ...

(born 1982), Indian cricketer

Khalil

Ahmed Khalil Ahmed Khalil Sebait Mubarak Al-Junaibi ( ar, أحمد خليل سبيت مبارك الجنيبي; born 8 June 1991) is an Emirati footballer who plays as a forward for Al Bataeh and United Arab Emirates national team. In 2006, Ahmed won the ...

, Emirati footballer *

Christel Khalil Christel Adnana Mina Khalil (born November 30, 1987) is an American actress. Background Khalil was born in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California, to a mother of Native American, African American, and European descent and a Pakistani ...

, American actress of Pakistani and African descent *

Faisal Khalil Faisal Khalil Sebait Mubarak Al-Junaibi ( ar, فيصل خليل سبيت مبارك الجنيبي; born 4 December 1982) is an Emirati footballer who plays as a centre forward for Al-Hamriyah and formerly for the UAE national football team. C ...

, Emirati footballer * Joseph Abu Khalil (1925–2019), Lebanese politician and journalist *

Rabih Abou-Khalil Rabih Abou-Khalil ( ar, ربيع أبو خليل, born August 17, 1957) is an oud player and composer born in Lebanon, who combines elements of Arabic music with jazz, classical music, and other styles. He grew up in Beirut and moved to Munich, Ge ...

, Lebanese oud player and composer

Khelil

Chakib Khelil Chakib Khelil ( ar, شكيب خليل; born 8 August 1939) is an Algerian political figure who served in the government of Algeria as Minister of Energy and Mines from 1999 to 2010. Early life and education Khelil was born on 8 August 1939 in Ou ...

(born 1939), Algerian politician, minister * Rima Khelil (born 1989), Algerian team handball player

Fictional characters

*Khalil, a character debuted in '' Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie'' and appearing in the

VeggieTales ''VeggieTales'' is an American Christian media, computer generated musical children's animation, and book franchise created by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki under Big Idea Entertainment. The series sees fruit and vegetable characters retelling ...

series *Inayat Khalil, a villain in '' K.G.F: Chapter 2'' *Prince Khalil, a character in ''

The Princess Diaries ''The Princess Diaries'' is a series of epistolary young adult novels written by Meg Cabot, and is also the title of the first volume, published in 2000. The series revolves around Amelia 'Mia' Thermopolis, a teenager in New York who discovers ...

'' *Khalil Flemming, a Season 1 contestant in ''

Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman ''Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman'' (sometimes shortened as ''Fetch!'') is an American live-action/animated television series that aired on PBS Kids Go! and is largely targeted towards middle school children. It is a reality-game show that is hosted by ...

'' *Khalil Harris, fictional character in ''

The Hate U Give ''The Hate U Give'' is a 2017 young adult novel by Angie Thomas. It is Thomas's debut novel, expanded from a short story she wrote in college in reaction to the police shooting of Oscar Grant. The book is narrated by Starr Carter, a 16-ye ...

'' *Khalil Payne, alter-ego name Painkiller, a main character in

Black Lightning Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character, created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor Von Eeden, first appeared in ''Black Lightning'' #1 (April 1977), during ...

*Khalil Utbah, a character appearing in the anime series ''

Inazuma Eleven is an association football-themed media franchise created by Level-5 (company), Level-5. The franchise began with the release of ''Inazuma Eleven (video game), Inazuma Eleven'' in 2008, with the game series selling over 8 million copies worldwide b ...