Refael
Masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God heals" or "God has healed".
Name Census estimates that about 317 living Americans carry the first name Refael. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Refael today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Refael births was 2019 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Refael. 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 Refael with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
317
~ 1 in 1,081,244 Americans
Peak year
2019
25 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,516
Tracked since 1993
Census
Refael in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 343 people with the first name Refael, which placed it at #26,904 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#26,904
National first-name rank
People counted
343
343 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
79.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Refael
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Refael is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.5%) and Black (1.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Refael described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Refael at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.3% · 272
- Hispanic or Latino17.5% · 60
- Black or African American1.5% · 5
- Two or more races1.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2
Popularity
Refael: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Refael from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 147 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Refael remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Refael 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 Refael during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Refaels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Refael
The name Refael originates from the Hebrew language and culture, with its earliest known usage dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew name Raphael, which means "God has healed" or "God's healing." The name is rooted in the biblical story of the archangel Raphael, who is mentioned in the Book of Tobit and is regarded as the angel of healing and traveler's protector in Jewish and Christian traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Refael can be found in the Talmud, a central text of rabbinic Judaism. The Talmud mentions a figure named Refael ben Yehuda, a renowned sage who lived during the 2nd century CE. This early reference suggests that the name has been in use among Jewish communities for centuries.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Refael. One of the most famous was Refael Santi (1483-1520), an Italian Renaissance painter and architect. Santi is best known for his iconic works, such as "The School of Athens" and "The Sistine Madonna," which are celebrated for their artistic mastery and timeless beauty.
Another prominent figure was Refael Molina (1619-1697), a Spanish theologian and philosopher. Molina was a significant figure in the development of the Molinism theological doctrine, which sought to reconcile divine foreknowledge and human free will.
In the realm of literature, Refael Sabatini (1875-1950) was an Italian-English novelist and writer. He is best known for his historical fiction novels, including the famous swashbuckling adventure novel "Scaramouche," which was published in 1921.
Moving to the modern era, Refael Gross (1924-2021) was an Israeli artist and sculptor. His works, which often depicted biblical and Jewish themes, can be found in museums and public spaces throughout Israel and around the world.
Refael Nadal (born 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player who has won numerous Grand Slam titles and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His name, Refael, has brought recognition to the name on a global scale.
The name Refael has a rich history rooted in religious and cultural traditions, and it has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields throughout the centuries. From artists and writers to theologians and athletes, the name has carried a diverse range of meanings and associations, reflecting its enduring appeal and the diverse paths of those who have carried it.
People
Refael + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Refael 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
Refael: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Refael?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 317 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Refael 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 1,081,244 US residents.
Is Refael a common name?
We classify Refael as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 320 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Refael most popular?
The single biggest year for Refael was 2019, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Refael is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Refael in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 343 people with the name Refael, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #26,904 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Refael in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Refael?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Refael leans strongly male. 339 people counted with this name were male (98.3%), compared with 6 female bearers (1.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Refael?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Refael is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.5%) and Black (1.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Refael most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Refael in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.3% (272 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Refael in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Refael a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Refael 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 Refael still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Refael 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 Refael 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.
How many people have the name Refael?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Refael, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.