Rafael
Pronounced R AA2 F AY0 EH1 L (ARPABET)
- 3 syllables
- Peaked 2006
- 145 years in use
- 1 spelling
How popular is Rafael?
Rafael is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 114,018 children — the 283rd most common boys' name on record.
Its use has been broadly flat across the past two decades. Its best single year was 2006, when 2,127 children were given it.
Raphael is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Rafael and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Raphael
Characteristics
- 3 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- R AA2 F AY0 EH1 L · R AA2 F Y EH1 L · R EY1 F IY0 AH0 L
- Stress pattern:
- 201 · 21 · 100
- Syllables:
- 3
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Rafael
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Rafael
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Rafael?
- Rafael ranks 283rd among boys' names in US records, with 114,018 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 20,187.
- Is Rafael a unisex name?
- No. Rafael is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Rafael most popular?
- 2006, when 2,127 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Rafael spelled?
- Raphael. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.