Holding steady.
Popularity of Rafel since 1922
Babies named Rafel per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1970, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Rafel's real moment was 1930.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 |
| 1930s | 6 |
| 1940s | 0 |
| 1950s | 0 |
| 1960s | 14 |
| 1970s | 33 |
| 1980s | 40 |
| 1990s | 16 |
| 2000s | 6 |
| 2010s | 5 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Rafel has been recorded in United States Social Security data since 1922, with its peak usage occurring in 1930. While the name has never broken into the top 1000 rankings, it has maintained a low but stable presence over the decades. Its trajectory is classified as stable, indicating consistent, if minimal, use without dramatic shifts in popularity. The name is most common in Catalan-speaking regions and among families with ties to Spain, though no top states can be identified from the data. Rafel remains a distinctive variant of the more widely recognized Rafael and Raphael, offering a slightly different phonetic appeal while retaining the same meaningful heritage.
Rafel is a variant of Raphael, derived from the Hebrew name Rafa'el meaning 'God has healed.' Raphael is the name of an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition. The form Rafel is common in Catalan-speaking regions and also appears as a variant in other languages.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Rafi, Rafe
Sibling names for Rafel
Names that share Rafel's style, for a brother or sister.
