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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201981peak #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.

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 1981

girls
#5,571
12 births · 1 in 139,005 girls
boys
#204
1,213 births · 1 in 1,477 boys

Top girls' names in 1981

  1. #1Jennifer57,046
  2. #2Jessica42,531
  3. #3Amanda34,372
  4. #4Sarah28,175
  5. #5Melissa28,005
  6. #6Amy20,345
  7. #7Nicole20,310
  8. #8Stephanie20,212
  9. #9Elizabeth20,168
  10. #10Heather17,946
  11. #5,571Rafael12

Top boys' names in 1981

  1. #1Michael68,750
  2. #2Christopher50,221
  3. #3Matthew43,330
  4. #4Jason41,927
  5. #5David40,629
  6. #6Joshua39,024
  7. #7James38,283
  8. #8John34,868
  9. #9Robert34,395
  10. #10Daniel30,985
  11. #204Rafael1,213
More about 1981

girls

1,668,060 girls got a published name in 1981; 1 in 139,005 of them was named Rafael, which outranked 54.3% of the 12,198 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rafael
  1. #5,254Ying13
  2. #5,254Yumi13
  3. #5,254Yvonna13
  4. #5,571Rafael12
  5. #5,571Abigayle12
  6. #5,571Adrean12
  7. #5,571Agustina12
  8. #5,885Abigale11
  9. #5,885Adair11
  10. #5,885Aeisha11

Tied with 313 names at #5,571; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1980
Risers
  1. 3,850Tashina#4,743#893
  2. 2,742Krystle#3,215#473
  3. 1,800Tierra#2,342#542
  4. 1,398Martine#2,189#791
  5. 999Nereida#1,981#982
Fallers
  1. 764Kylene#990#1,754
  2. 607Renada#708#1,315
  3. 560Ashanti#822#1,382
  4. 399Renata#336#735
  5. 395Tracee#959#1,354

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

boys

1,791,177 boys got a published name in 1981; 1 in 1,477 of them was named Rafael, which outranked 97.2% of the 7,289 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Rafael
  1. #201Pedro1,228
  2. #202Colin1,227
  3. #203Sergio1,222
  4. #204Rafael1,213
  5. #204Tommy1,213
  6. #206Tyrone1,211
  7. #207Shannon1,205
  8. #208Leonard1,191

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1980
Risers
  1. 1,321Marchello#2,162#841
  2. 1,104Skylar#2,058#954
  3. 816Kellen#1,432#616
  4. 499Marcello#1,291#792
  5. 456Tyrel#1,089#633
Fallers
  1. 306Kenyatta#871#1,177
  2. 284Seneca#718#1,002
  3. 247Kimberly#989#1,236
  4. 216Chadd#927#1,143
  5. 214Levar#911#1,125

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

See the top 100 for 1981