Raafay
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "one who provides sustenance".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Raafay. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Raafay today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raafay births was 2005 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raafay. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Raafay with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Raafay. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
2005
7 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2005 SSA rank
#9,883
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Raafay: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Raafay by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Raafay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Raafay
The name Raafay is of Arabic origin and has its roots in the Arabic language. It is considered to be a variation of the name Rafi, which means "companion" or "companion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)".
The name Raafay is believed to have been in use since the early days of Islam, as it was common for people to name their children after companions of the Prophet Muhammad or other notable figures from the early Islamic era. The earliest recorded use of the name Raafay dates back to the 7th century CE, during the time of the Rashidun Caliphate.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Raafay was Raafay ibn Khadij, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad who fought in several battles alongside him. He is mentioned in various historical texts and accounts of the early Islamic period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Raafay. One such person was Raafay al-Qaisi, a renowned Arab poet who lived in the 8th century CE. He is known for his contributions to Arabic literature and his poetic works, which are still studied and appreciated today.
Another prominent individual with the name Raafay was Raafay al-Andalusi, a scholar and mathematician who lived in the 10th century CE in the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). He made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy during the Islamic Golden Age.
In the 12th century CE, there was Raafay al-Khazraji, a Sufi mystic and scholar who was known for his spiritual teachings and writings. He was widely respected in his time and is still revered in certain Sufi orders.
More recently, in the 19th century, there was Raafay Pasha, an Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the Grand Vizier (prime minister) of the Ottoman Empire from 1886 to 1887.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Raafay throughout history, reflecting its Arabic roots and the diverse contexts in which it has been used.
People
Raafay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raafay as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Raafay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raafay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raafay going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Raafay a common name?
We classify Raafay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raafay most popular?
The single biggest year for Raafay was 2005, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raafay is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Raafay in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Raafay a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raafay in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Raafay still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Raafay in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Raafay can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Raafay?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.