Rafi
A masculine Arabic given name meaning "the companion" or "friend".
Name Census estimates that about 683 living Americans carry the first name Rafi. It is a predominantly male name (99.3% of registrations). The average person named Rafi today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rafi births was 2024 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rafi. 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
683
~ 1 in 501,837 Americans
Peak year
2024
38 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,194
Tracked since 1974
Gender
Gender distribution for Rafi
Out of the 696 babies given the name Rafi since 1880, 99.3% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Rafi as a male name
- Ranked #3,194 in 2024
- 38 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (38 births)
Rafi as a female name
- Ranked #16,974 in 2020
- 5 female births in 2020
- Peak: 2020 (5 births)
Popularity
Rafi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rafi from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 182 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Rafi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rafi 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 Rafi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rafis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. New York, California, Michigan recorded the most babies named Rafi, while Pennsylvania, Michigan, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 29 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rafi
The name Rafi is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language, derived from the root word "rafa'a," which means "to raise" or "to elevate." It is a variant of the more common Arabic name Rafiq, which translates to "companion" or "friend."
The earliest known usage of the name Rafi can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the rise of Islam in the Middle East. It was a popular name among Arab communities and was often given to boys as a symbol of aspiration and elevation.
In Islamic literature, the name Rafi is mentioned in several historical texts and religious scriptures. One notable reference is found in the Hadith, a collection of sayings and teachings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, where the name is used as an example of a virtuous and upright individual.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Rafi. One of the earliest recorded examples is Rafi ibn Harthama (c. 640-710 CE), an Arab military commander and governor who served under the Umayyad Caliphate.
Another prominent figure was Rafi al-Din al-Kawkabi (c. 1173-1239), a renowned Persian philosopher and astronomer who made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and optics.
In the realm of literature, Rafi Peer Theatre Zakani (c. 1300-1370) was a celebrated Persian poet and satirist known for his witty and humorous works.
Moving forward in time, Rafi Anjum (1911-1983) was a renowned Urdu poet and writer from India, whose works celebrated the beauty of the Urdu language and explored themes of love and spirituality.
More recently, Rafi Eitan (1926-2019) was an Israeli intelligence officer and politician who played a crucial role in the capture of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1960.
These are just a few examples of individuals who bore the name Rafi throughout history, highlighting its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Rafi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rafi 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
Rafi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rafi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 683 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rafi 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 501,837 US residents.
Is Rafi a common name?
We classify Rafi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 696 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rafi most popular?
The single biggest year for Rafi was 2024, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rafi is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rafi a male name?
Yes, 99.3% of people registered as Rafi 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.
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.