Rafael
Rafael was the 218th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,639 babies. Its best year was 1985, when it ranked 195th; the most babies were born in 2006 (1,702). Over the last ten years it has moved up 76 places. More babies were named Rafael in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning God has healed · Hebrew, Spanish
Say it rah-fah-EL /ˌrɑfɑˈɛl/
- Rank in 2025
- #218 boys, up 29 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,639boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20061,702 babies
- Total since 1880
- 89,947babies recorded
What does the name Rafael mean?
Rafael is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Raphael, one of the archangels. The Hebrew Refa'el combines a verb meaning 'to heal' with El, 'God'; DMNES glosses it 'God has healed', and Wikipedia gives 'God has healed' or 'God heals'. Rafa is a common Spanish short form, and Raffaele is the Italian form. Raphael, with ph, is the English and French spelling of the same name.
רְפָאֵל (Biblical Hebrew, “Refa'el, God has healed”)רפא (Hebrew, “to heal”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Raphael, Rafa, Raffaele, Raphaël.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Raphael', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Rafael', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Rafael (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Rafael
The usual nicknames for Rafael are Rafa and Rafi.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rafa | Traditional | — | — |
| Rafi | Modern | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Rafaels go by each one.
Rafael popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 568 since 1923.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #218 | 1,639 |
| 2020 | #247 | 1,424 |
| 2010 | #258 | 1,333 |
| 2000 | #230 | 1,472 |
| 1990 | #202 | 1,503 |
| 1980 | #208 | 1,188 |
| 1970 | #245 | 947 |
| 1960 | #334 | 541 |
| 1950 | #389 | 299 |
| 1940 | #542 | 118 |
| 1930 | #394 | 214 |
| 1920 | #550 | 124 |
| 1910 | #532 | 29 |
| 1900 | #774 | 12 |
| 1890 | #724 | 9 |
| 1880 | #793 | 7 |
How popular is Rafael, counting every spelling?
Rafael is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #161 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #218 for Rafael on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,455 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rafael | 1,639 | #218 | 7,784 |
| Raphael | 807 | #394 | 3,433 |
| Raffael | 9 | #8,761 | 52 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Rafael?
1,639 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rafael (0.45 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Rafael born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 5 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Rafael.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rafael?
About 79,400 people born in the US named Rafael are alive today, with a median age of 29; half are between 15 and 44. That makes Rafael mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Rafael by state
How common Rafael was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (3.4×), New Mexico (2.0×), California (1.9×), Texas (1.9×), Arizona (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Kentucky, Missouri.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Rafael: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rafael, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Rafael · Sibling names for Rafael
Questions about the name Rafael
What does Rafael mean?
Rafael means “God has healed” (Hebrew, Spanish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Rafael?
Rafael was the 218th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,639 babies. Its best year was 1985, when it ranked 195th; the most babies were born in 2006 (1,702). Over the last ten years it has moved up 76 places. More babies were named Rafael in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Rafael a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Rafael in the US.
Where is Rafael most popular?
In 2021–2025, Rafael was most common in District of Columbia (3.05 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Mexico and California.