Aapeli is a Finnish variant of Abel. Abel was the second son of Adam and Eve in the Bible. There are however different meanings to the name depending on which language the name is given in. In Hebrew, it is derived from the word 'hebel' which means 'breath'. In Arabic however, it is derived from the word 'habeel' which means 'a city in mourning'. It also means 'meadow' in ancient Assyrian.