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Rafael

boy name
Origin
Hebrew
Syllables
3
Peak era
2020s
Today
▲ Rising

Torn between Rafael and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

“God has healed”

Goes by Rafa. See all nicknames

The story

Rafael is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Raphael, a Hebrew name meaning God heals. In the Book of Tobit, the archangel Raphael travels in disguise with the young Tobias, helps him defeat a demon, and restores the sight of Tobias's father. The healing meaning is therefore not an abstract label; it is enacted in the name's best-known sacred story. Art added another layer through the Renaissance painter Raphael, whose name is the Italian form of the same tradition. Spanish-speaking audiences may also hear Rafa, the affectionate form carried around the world by tennis champion Rafael Nadal. These bearers are associations, not explanations for every family's choice. The deeper continuity is the movement between languages: Raphael, Raffaello, Rafael, and Rafa keep recognizable ties while sounding at home in different places. Rafael feels strong without hardness and traditional without stiffness. Its story offers companionship, restored sight, religious history, great painting, and an easy everyday nickname, all held together by the old hope of healing.

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How popular is Rafael around the world?

In the United States, 9,208 babies were named Rafael between 2020 and 2025. In Spain, 217,304 residents are named Rafael, the 19th most common name among men, with a mean age of 53.9 years.

Rafael is on the official records of the United States, Spain, Brazil, Chile, Mexico City, Argentina, Austria, France, Montevideo, Canada, England and Wales, Puerto Rico, Norway, South Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Poland.

Rafael crosses languages: it is in the latest top 300 of an English-speaking birth record, of a Spanish-speaking one and of Brazil’s 2022 census, which counts people of every age. The full lists: English and Spanish · English and Portuguese · Spanish and Portuguese

United States

1 in 2,400

In the United States, 9,208 babies were named Rafael between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Rafael peaked in the 2020s.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

Spain

1 in 210

In Spain, 217,304 residents are named Rafael, the 19th most common name among men, with a mean age of 53.9 years.
In Spain, Rafael was the 61st most common name among boys born in 2024.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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Brazil

1 in 230

At the 2022 census, 873,321 people in Brazil were named Rafael, the 15th most common name, with a median age of 27.
Among people named Rafael living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.

1930speak 1990s2010s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 38,976 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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Chile

1 in 330

In Chile, 540 boys were registered as Rafael in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.

1920peak 2020

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

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Mexico City City

1 in 340

In Mexico City, there were 341 registrations of Rafael in 2022.

2000peak 2022

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (13 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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Argentina

1 in 700

In Argentina, 942 newborns were given the name Rafael in 2024.

2012peak 20202024

share of that year’s name registrations

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

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Austria

1 in 1,000

In Austria, 76 boys named Rafael were born in 2025, the 97th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.

1984peak 20132025

share of that year’s births on record

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

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France

1 in 1,200

In France, about 540 boys named Rafael were born in 2025, the 110th most common name among boys that year.

1900peak 2009

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. This registry counts each spelling separately; the figures above are for the exact spelling Rafael, and accented spellings are separate names. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

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Montevideo City

1 in 1,600 · 2011

In Montevideo, 15 boys named Rafael were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.

1940peak 19682011

share of that year’s births on record

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

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Canada

1 in 2,000

In Canada, 184 boys named Rafael were born in 2024, the 185th most common name among boys that year.

1991peak 20132024

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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England and Wales

1 in 2,200

In England and Wales, 266 boys named Rafael were born in 2025, the 189th most common name among boys that year.

1996peak 2021

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

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Puerto Rico

1 in 2,300

In Puerto Rico, 8 babies were named Rafael in 2025, and 1,971 have carried the name since 1998.

peak 19992025

share of that year’s births on record

First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)

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Norway

1 in 2,600 · register 2026

In Norway, 11 boys were given the name Rafael in 2025.

1960peak 2020

share of the boys on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure

People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)

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South Australia

1 in 3,100 · 2017

In South Australia, 6 boys were registered as Rafael in 2017.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

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Ireland

1 in 4,500

In Ireland, 12 boys named Rafael were born in 2025, the 329th most common name among boys that year.

2000peak 2022

share of that year’s name registrations

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

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New Zealand

1 in 5,200

In New Zealand, 11 boys named Rafael were registered in 2025.

2010peak 20182025

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

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Scotland

1 in 11,000

In Scotland, 4 boys named Rafael were registered in 2024, the 619th most common name among boys that year.

2000peak 2022

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

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Poland

1 in 16,000

In Poland, 15 boys named Rafael were born in 2025, the 285th most common name among boys that year.

2000peak 20152025

share of that year’s name registrations

First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

See the full list for Poland →

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Rafael

Most people given the name Rafael in the United States were born between 1970 and 2019. The Rafael you meet today is most often in his 20s or 30s.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Rafael

Adam Jesus Noah Adan Moshe Judah

Keep exploring

Names like Rafael · Nicknames for Rafael · Spanish baby names · Filipino baby names · Filipino American baby names · Mexican American baby names

Name trails: explore connections from Rafael →

The Rafael deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Rafael truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Rafael fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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