Rafael

Meaning: God has healed
Origin: Variant of Raphael (from Hebrew)

Boy's name · #218 in the US (2025) · Trending

Popularity over time

Rafael is moving up the charts. First recorded in 1880, it stood at #218 in 2025; about 89,000 boys have been named Rafael along the way.

Across the states

See where Rafael is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 40 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Rafael ranks in other countries and regions.

#20 in Portugal (2023) · #27 in Mexico (2024) · #27 in Croatia (2025) · #62 in Spain (2024) · #67 in Switzerland (2025) · #98 in Austria (2025) · #110 in France (2025) · #121 in Slovenia (2025) · #127 in Belgium (2025) · #170 in Ecuador (2025) · #190 in England & Wales (2025) · #202 in Puerto Rico (2025) and 8 more.

Famous Rafaels

Rafael Correa — Ecuadorian politician (born 1963)
Rafael Orozco Maestre — Colombian singer (1954–1992)
Rafael Nadal — Spanish tennis player (born 1986)
Rafael van der Vaart — Dutch association football player (born 1983)
Rafael Trujillo — President of the Dominican Republic (1891–1961)

In stories & tradition

Rafael Barba — Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV series)
Rafael Campo^nl — Thuis (TV series)
Rafael Montero^pt — The Mask of Zorro (film)

What Rafaels become

Among 4,555 notable people named Rafael:

Lawyers & judges appear 1.36× more often than among typical names — e.g. Rafael Casanova, Catalan lawyer (1660–1743).

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variant Raphael (#394), Rafael would rank around #148 with about 2,400 births last year — the newborns split about 67/33 between Rafael and Raphael.

Similar names: Raphael · Nicolas · Raul · Andres · Miguel · Ismael

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service