Rafael
Top 1000
About Rafael
Energetic, sunny, and slightly romantic, Rafael is a popular choice in Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Croatia. Used internationally, Rafael is a Spanish variation of Raphael, that lends itself easily to the nicknames Rafi, Rafa and Rafe.
Derived from a Biblical, Hebrew name, meaning "God has healed", Rafael is associated with both an archangel in The Old Testament and with the master Renaissance artist.
With its lighter, more concise appearance and Its hint of flair and fun, the Rafael spelling is perhaps most famously borne by tennis play, Rafael Nadal.
Popular but not too popular in multiple different countries around the world, Rafael sits in the Top 100 in Mexico, Switzerland, Chile, and Uruguay,.
In the UK, it climbed to #181 in 2022 (though Rafferty and Raphael still outrank it), while in the US, it has been the favored spelling since the 1920s.
Given to 1500 babies in the US each year, Rafael fits in with currently trending choices like Jaziel and Azriel, while still feeling perfectly familiar.
Pronounced rah-fah-EL.
As of October 2026, Rafael ranked #218 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #195 in 1985, Nameberry popularity #401.
Editor's take: The name Rafael is a boy's name of Hebrew, German, Spanish origin meaning "God has healed".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #293 | 1,205 | 627.3 |
| 2015 | #294 | 1,226 | 639.6 |
| 2016 | #291 | 1,238 | 652.4 |
| 2017 | #283 | 1,282 | 692.6 |
| 2018 | #258 | 1,404 | 773.1 |
| 2019 | #261 | 1,391 | 775.3 |
| 2020 | #247 | 1,423 | 824.4 |
| 2021 | #237 | 1,489 | 851.1 |
| 2022 | #232 | 1,516 | 868.3 |
| 2023 | #231 | 1,515 | 885.7 |
| 2024 | #222 | 1,614 | 936.8 |
| 2025 | #218 | 1,639 | 959.6 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Rafael.
- Matthias
- Lorenzo
- Maximilian
- Marco
- Emilio
- Julien
- Titus
- Joaquin
- Andreas
- Anton
- Julius
- Ezekiel
- Maximus
- Dimitri
- Dmitri
- Adrien
- Nikolai
- Zachariah
- Fabian
- Emmanuel
Rafael on lists
Famous Rafaels
- Rafael Nadal (Parera)
Spanish tennis player
- Rafael Vicente Correa (Delgado)
President of Ecuador
- Rafael Leónidas Trujillo (Molina)
Dominican dictator
- Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz
U.S. Senator from Texas
- Rafael Yglesias
American novelist and screenwriter
- Rafael Garcia
American soccer player
- Rafael Benítez (Maudes)
Spanish footballer and manager
- (José) Rafael Amaya (Núñez)
Mexican actor, singer and model
- Rafael Palmeiro (Corrales)
Cuban,American baseball player
- Rafael Márquez (Álvarez)
Mexican footballer
- Rafael Halperin
Israeli businessman, rabbi and pro wrestler
- Rafael "Rafinha" Alcántara do Nascimento
Brazilian footballer
- Rafael Lange Severino aka Cellbit
Brazilian YouTuber
- Rafael van der Vaart
Dutch footballer
- Rafael "Rafa" Guevara (b. 2003)
son of Allegra Huston; grandson of director John Huston
- Rafael Llamas (b. 2005)
son of actors José Ángel Llamas and Mara Croatto
- Rafael Schofield (b. 2006)
son of actress Sally Rogers and Jonathan Schofield
- Rafael Ritchie (b. 2011)
son of director Guy Ritchie
- Rafael Fernández de Córdova y de Potesta (b. 2013)
great,grandson of Franz, Duke of Hohenburg and Princess Elisabeth of Luxembourg
- Rafael Thomas (b. 2015)
son of actor Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Thomas Baldwin
Rafael in pop culture
- Rafael Santo
character on TV's "American Gothic"
- Rafael Solano
character on TV's "Jane the Virgin"
- Rafael Diaz
character in "Star vs. the Forces of Evil"
- Rafael Barba
ADA on "Law and Oder: SVU"
- San Rafael
California, USA (pron. "ruh,FELL")
Variations & nicknames
- RaffaeleItalian