Rafael
The Spanish and Portuguese form of Raphael, from Hebrew Refa'el, meaning God has healed. Raphael appears as an archangel in the Book of Tobit.
Rafael in 2025
Rafael was given to 1,639 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 420th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 2,023 babies born.
The history of Rafael
Rafael reached its highest point in 2006, when 1,710 babies were given the name, ranking 422nd that year. Its best-ever ranking was 401st, in 1985.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 89,947 babies have been named Rafael. Half of them were born before 1994, which places the name's centre of gravity with Millennials.
Rafael by decade
| Decade | Babies named Rafael | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 65 | 1,215 |
| 1890s | 84 | 1,554 |
| 1900s | 172 | 1,212 |
| 1910s | 608 | 1,240 |
| 1920s | 1,718 | 822 |
| 1930s | 1,420 | 835 |
| 1940s | 1,833 | 903 |
| 1950s | 3,974 | 739 |
| 1960s | 6,336 | 564 |
| 1970s | 9,720 | 449 |
| 1980s | 12,431 | 401 |
| 1990s | 14,491 | 402 |
| 2000s | 15,093 | 422 |
| 2010s | 12,794 | 489 |
| 2020s | 9,208 | 420 |
Where Rafael is heading
Rafael has risen 34% over the past decade, from 1,226 babies in 2015 to 1,639 in 2025.
Names like Rafael
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Rafael.