Rafael

Last seen for girls in 2009 at #13,704 · #218 for boys in 2025, 1,639 births
Given to boys 99.4% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1985 · 1,250 births
Debut · boys
7 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
89,379
since 1880

Rafael over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Rafael has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201897peak #195, 1985boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025—#2181,639
2024—#2221,621
2023—#2311,517
2022—#2321,517
2021—#2371,490
2020—#2461,424
2019—#2611,392
2018—#2581,405
2017—#2831,282
2016—#2911,238
2015—#2931,226
2014—#2931,205
2013—#2871,208
2012—#2861,231
2011—#2741,274
2010—#2571,333
2009#13,7047#2571,345
2008#15,4056#2401,541
2007—#2281,622
2006#12,4208#2171,702
2005#16,4625#2281,492
2004#12,7617#2241,544
2003#11,3258#2361,411
2002#10,2469#2311,453
2001#13,5216#2321,455
2000—#2301,472
1999#11,3857#2291,438
1998#7,53212#2291,386
1997#8,33410#2271,360
1996#8,13210#2151,399
1995#8,07910#2051,459
1994#7,09712#2021,431
1993#4,67121#2111,427
1992#5,71816#2081,484
1991#6,58813#2101,483
1990#7,88010#2011,503
1989#4,35821#2131,322
1988#7,11110#2061,285
1987#4,66017#2071,217
1986#6,61210#2031,211
1985#4,63516#1951,250
1984#4,73715#2041,147
1983#4,28617#2011,186
1982#3,89820#1991,255
1981#5,57112#2041,213
1980#3,99219#2081,188
1979#5,75111#2221,025
1978#4,24216#218996
1977#3,36622#2151,033
1976#5,21511#215976
1975#5,9849#215986
1974#6,2588#226930
1973#4,87111#232906
1972#4,52312#232927
1971#3,37319#257866
1970#5,4139#245947
1969#6,6176#255818
1968—#259768
1967—#278669
1966#4,8668#297620
1965#4,4949#304615
1964—#324582
1963#4,01911#337526
1962#5,8606#332565
1961#4,00911#326581
1960—#334541
1959—#345509
1958#6,1035#342503
1957#6,0865#390388
1956—#349448
1955#5,8285#353417
1954#5,7535#349420
1953—#384329
1952—#355366
1951—#411275
1950—#389299
1949—#422260
1948—#415265
1947—#436239
1946—#452196
1945—#453172
1944—#458176
1943—#533140
1942—#503148
1941—#546119
1940—#541118
1939#4,2505#544111
1938—#548111
1937—#563106
1936#3,7016#527117
1935—#517124
1934—#501132
1933—#491130
1932#3,5687#434167
1931—#407190
1930—#392214
1929#4,0536#403209
1928—#410215
1927#4,8055#428201
1926—#467166
1925—#451178
1924—#465174
1923#4,3766#499149
1922—#510146
1921—#528139
1920—#549124
1919—#576108
1918—#70680
1917—#69476
1916—#69573
1915—#72567
1914—#67357
1913—#61551
1912—#64942
1911—#60525
1910—#52429
1909—#57421
1908—#54122
1907—#59118
1906—#48921
1905—#57417
1904—#45222
1903—#61913
1902—#74410
1901—#48716
1900—#74312
1899—#66110
1898—#8048
1897—#61512
1896—#9007
1895—#64011
1894—#7878
1893—#9076
1892—#8617
1891—#8416
1890—#6679
1889—#7228
1888—#7049
1887—#6798
1886——
1885—#8366
1884—#9715
1883—#7207
1882—#8376
1881—#5959
1880—#7457
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Rafael was already there! It came in at #745, and was given to 7 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1886, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.

Where Rafael is popular in 1897

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

See more about Rafael
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 4 spots since 2024 (#222 → #218)
  • 28 spots since 2020 (#246 → #218)
  • 75 spots since 2015 (#293 → #218)
  • Biggest jump: 285 spots in 1897 (#900 → #615)
  • Biggest drop: 260 spots in 1896 (#640 → #900)
Rise & fade · boys
105 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1985 at #195 (1,250 births)
  • Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 145 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 145 yrs · run 1887–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 1,042
  • Highest: 1 in 1,042 boys born in 2025 were named Rafael (0.10%)
  • Its best rank, #195 in 1985, was only 1 in 1,479 (0.07%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 2000s
  • 16.8% of all boys named Rafael (15,037) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s65#595 (1881)#757
1890s84#615 (1897)#768
1900s172#452 (1904)#581
1910s608#524 (1910)#646
1920s1,701#403 (1929)#471
1930s1,402#392 (1930)#492
1940s1,833#415 (1948)#476
1950s3,954#342 (1958)#367
1960s6,285#255 (1969)#305
1970s9,592#215 (1977)#228
1980s12,274#195 (1985)#204
1990s14,370#201 (1990)#214
2000s15,037#217 (2006)#232
2010s12,794#257 (2010)#278
2020s9,208#218 (2025)#231

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Rafael in 1897

boys
#615
12 births · 1 in 9,396 boys

Top boys' names in 1897

  1. #1John7,550
  2. #2William7,198
  3. #3James5,113
  4. #4George4,078
  5. #5Charles3,341
  6. #6Joseph2,827
  7. #7Frank2,726
  8. #8Robert2,701
  9. #9Edward2,121
  10. #10Henry1,994
  11. #615Rafael12
More about 1897

boys

112,757 boys got a published name in 1897; 1 in 9,396 of them was named Rafael, which outranked 50.0% of the 1,229 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 35.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rafael
  1. #584Pierce13
  2. #584Randall13
  3. #584Raphael13
  4. #615Rafael12
  5. #615Abel12
  6. #615Alois12
  7. #615Alphonso12
  8. #652Alpha11
  9. #652Arnett11
  10. #652Art11

Tied with 36 names at #615; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1896
Risers
  1. ↑ 509Roswell#982 → #473
  2. ↑ 487Theron#982 → #495
  3. ↑ 486Alois#1,101 → #615
  4. ↑ 486Rush#1,101 → #615
  5. ↑ 467Helmer#982 → #515
Fallers
  1. ↓ 480Benton#462 → #942
  2. ↓ 465Louise#592 → #1,057
  3. ↓ 465Bradford#592 → #1,057
  4. ↓ 461Allison#481 → #942
  5. ↓ 424Hilliard#518 → #942

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1897 →