Raffeal
An Italian masculine name derived from the Hebrew name Raphael meaning "God has healed".
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Raffeal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Raffeal today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raffeal births was 1986 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raffeal. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Raffeal. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1986
5 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1989 SSA rank
#8,924
Tracked since 1986
Popularity
Raffeal: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Raffeal 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 Raffeal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 15 | 0 | 15 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Raffeal
The name Raffeal is believed to have originated from the Hebrew name Rafael, which means "God has healed" or "God's medicine." The name can be traced back to the biblical figure of Raphael, one of the seven archangels mentioned in the Book of Tobit, a book of the Old Testament.
In the Book of Tobit, Raphael is the archangel who accompanies Tobiah on his journey and helps him overcome various obstacles. The name Raphael is also mentioned in the Book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish text that dates back to the 3rd century BCE.
The earliest recorded use of the name Raffeal can be found in medieval European records, particularly in Italy and Spain, where it was often spelled as "Raffaele" or "Rafael." During the Renaissance period, the name gained popularity among artists and intellectuals, possibly due to its association with the archangel Raphael, who was often depicted in religious art.
One of the most famous bearers of the name Raffeal was Raffaello Sanzio, also known as Raphael (1483-1520), the Italian Renaissance painter and architect. He was one of the greatest artists of his time and is best known for his masterpieces such as "The School of Athens" and "The Sistine Madonna."
Another notable figure with the name Raffeal was Rafael Trujillo (1891-1961), the dictator of the Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1961. Despite his controversial rule, he played a significant role in shaping the country's infrastructure and economy.
In literature, Raffeal Sabatini (1875-1950) was an Italian-British writer known for his historical adventure novels, including "Scaramouche" and "Captain Blood."
In the world of sports, Rafael Nadal (born 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player who has won numerous Grand Slam titles and is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Finally, Rafael Alberti (1902-1999) was a Spanish poet and a member of the Generation of '27, a group of influential Spanish writers and artists who helped shape the literary and artistic landscape of Spain in the early 20th century.
People
Raffeal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raffeal 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
Raffeal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raffeal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raffeal 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Raffeal a common name?
We classify Raffeal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raffeal most popular?
The single biggest year for Raffeal was 1986, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raffeal is about 40 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 Raffeal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Raffeal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raffeal 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 Raffeal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Raffeal 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 Raffeal 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 many people share the name Raffeal?
You can see how many Americans are named Raffeal on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.