Rafferty
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Meaning
from an Irish surname derived from Rabhartach, meaning "flood tide"
How popular is Rafferty around the world?
In the United States, 94 babies were named Rafferty between 2020 and 2025. In England and Wales, 262 boys named Rafferty were born in 2025, the 193rd most common name among boys that year.
Rafferty is on the official records of the United States, England and Wales, Scotland and South Australia.
United States
1 in 230,000
In the United States, 94 babies were named Rafferty between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Rafferty has stayed rare in US records the whole time: no peak decade to name.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
England and Wales
1 in 2,200
In England and Wales, 262 boys named Rafferty were born in 2025, the 193rd most common name among boys that year.
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
Scotland
1 in 5,100
In Scotland, 9 boys named Rafferty were registered in 2024, the 382nd most common name among boys that year.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.
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
South Australia
1 in 9,2002017
In South Australia, 2 boys were registered as Rafferty in 2017.
The count never rose above 5 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
New Zealand
last on record 2023
Rafferty is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
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
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Canada, Ireland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Rafferty
Most people given the name Rafferty in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Rafferty deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Rafferty 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 Rafferty fits with your family’s names and surname.
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