Rafael
Rafael is a masculine given name. It is a Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Raphael. It translates to "God has healed" and "God heals" in Hebrew. Notable people with the name include:
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- German
- Hungarian
Meaning & Origin of Rafael
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Rafael is a masculine given name. It is a Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Raphael. It translates to "God has healed" and "God heals" in Hebrew. Notable people with the name include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- German
- Hungarian
- Romanian
- Slovene
- Hebrew
- Biblical Hebrew
- Dutch
The Story of Rafael
Rafael first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2006, when 1,702 Rafaels were born — ranking #217 that year. As of 2026, Rafael ranks #222 for baby boys with 1,631 births, gradually rising (+13%). In total, more than 91K Rafaels have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Rafael
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Rafael. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Rafael
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911–1938), Spanish saint
- Rafael Guízar y Valencia (1878–1938), Mexican Roman Catholic bishop and saint
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Rafael
Phonetically similar names — useful when Rafael is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Rafael
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About the name Rafael
Rafael is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 91K births in the dataset. Rafael's peak popularity came in 2006 when it ranked #195. Use the chart and map above to compare Rafael's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2006 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "R" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.