Raffaella
Female name of Italian origin meaning "God has healed or cured".
Name Census estimates that about 365 living Americans carry the first name Raffaella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Raffaella today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raffaella births was 2024 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raffaella. 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.
People living today
365
~ 1 in 939,053 Americans
Peak year
2024
20 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,089
Tracked since 1911
Popularity
Raffaella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raffaella from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 103 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Raffaella 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 Raffaella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Raffaellas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Raffaella, while Florida, California, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Raffaella
Raffaella is an Italian feminine given name derived from the biblical name Raphael, which means "God has healed" or "God's healing power" in Hebrew. The name has its origins in the Jewish and Christian traditions, where Raphael is one of the seven archangels mentioned in the Book of Tobit, part of the Catholic and Orthodox biblical canon.
The earliest recorded use of the name Raffaella dates back to the 16th century in Italy, where it gained popularity as a feminine form of the male name Raffaele, the Italian equivalent of Raphael. The name was particularly common in regions such as Tuscany, Lazio, and Campania, where it was often associated with aristocratic families.
One of the earliest notable figures to bear the name Raffaella was Raffaella Orsini (1493-1533), an Italian noblewoman from the powerful Orsini family. She was the wife of Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, and played an influential role in the cultural and artistic life of the Medici court.
In the 17th century, the name Raffaella was associated with the Italian painter Raffaella Sirani (1598-1624), one of the most renowned female artists of the Baroque period. She was known for her innovative use of chiaroscuro and her depictions of strong female figures.
Another historical figure with the name Raffaella was Raffaella Guglielmi (1789-1853), an Italian opera singer and composer. She was a prominent figure in the bel canto tradition and performed in some of the most prestigious opera houses of her time, including La Scala in Milan.
In the 20th century, the name Raffaella gained broader recognition with the rise of the Italian actress and model Raffaella Carrà (1943-2021), who was a cultural icon and celebrated for her contributions to television, music, and fashion.
Another notable Raffaella was Raffaella De Mirrachi (1935-2017), an Italian journalist and writer who played a significant role in promoting women's rights and gender equality in Italy. She was a pioneer in the field of feminist journalism and authored several influential works on women's issues.
People
Raffaella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raffaella 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
Raffaella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raffaella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 365 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raffaella 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 939,053 US residents.
Is Raffaella a common name?
We classify Raffaella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 464 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raffaella most popular?
The single biggest year for Raffaella was 2024, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raffaella is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Raffaella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raffaella in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.