2000
#11,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,445
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Rafael
A surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, derived from the Hebrew name "Raphael," meaning "God has healed."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,215 Americans carry the last name Rafael. That puts it at #8,583 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,318 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rafael surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rafael with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,318
Census rank
#8,583
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,676 bearers of the surname Rafael in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8583rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rafael, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.3%) and White (15.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rafael
The surname Rafael is of Spanish origin, derived from the Hebrew personal name "Raphael," which means "God has healed" or "God's healer." The name gained popularity in Spain during the Middle Ages, particularly after the reconquest of Iberia from the Moors.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Rafael can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, such as Catalonia, Aragon, and Castile. It is believed that the surname was originally adopted by individuals who were either descendants of someone named Raphael or lived in an area associated with the name.
In the 14th century, the name Rafael appeared in several historical documents, including the Llibre del Repartiment, which recorded the distribution of land and property in the newly conquered territories of Valencia. One notable figure from this period was Rafael Valls, a Catalan poet and writer who lived between 1350 and 1420.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the surname Rafael spread across Spain and its colonies in the Americas. Several prominent individuals bore this surname, including Rafael Altamira (1866-1951), a renowned Spanish historian, jurist, and philosopher, and Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro (1846-1905), a Portuguese ceramist and caricaturist.
In the 17th century, the name Rafael gained further recognition with the birth of Rafael de Sanzio (1483-1520), the Italian Renaissance artist widely known as Raphael. His works, including masterpieces like The School of Athens and the Sistine Madonna, have had a lasting impact on the art world.
Other notable individuals with the surname Rafael include Rafael Sabatini (1875-1950), an Italian-British novelist known for his swashbuckling adventure stories like Captain Blood and Scaramouche, and Rafael Nadal (born 1986), the Spanish professional tennis player and one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.
Throughout its history, the surname Rafael has maintained its strong ties to its Spanish and Hebrew roots, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the regions where it originated and flourished.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rafael
Among Census respondents with the surname Rafael, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.3%) and White (15.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rafael bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Rafael surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino60.7% · 2,231
- Asian and Pacific Islander18.3% · 672
- White15.5% · 571
- Black or African American2.0% · 72
- Two or more races2.0% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 58
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rafael
Rafael appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,631
+1,186 bearers (+48.5%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Up 2,728 places
2020
#8,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,676
+45 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Up 423 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,734 | 2,445 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,006 | 3,631 | 1.23 | +1,186 bearers (+48.5%) | Up 2,728 places |
| 2020 | #8,583 | 3,676 | 1.23 | +45 bearers (+1.2%) | Up 423 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Rafael surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,006 | #8,583 | 4.7% |
| Count | 3,631 | 3,676 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.23 | -0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rafael bearers went from 3,631 to 3,676 (+1.2% change). The surname moved up 423 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,006 to #8,583.
FAQ
Rafael surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rafael?
Name Census estimates that about 4,215 living Americans carry the surname Rafael. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,318 residents.
How common is Rafael?
Rafael ranks #8,583 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,676 people with the surname Rafael. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,215), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rafael.
Has Rafael become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rafael went from 3,631 recorded bearers to 3,676. That is an increase of 45 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,006 to #8,583.
What does the Census say about the background of Rafael?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rafael, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.3%) and White (15.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rafael in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.7% (2,231 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rafael appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (60.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (18.3%), White (15.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Rafael (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Rafael mean?
A surname of Spanish and Portuguese origin, derived from the Hebrew name "Raphael," meaning "God has healed." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Rafael (1.23 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Rafael?
Find out how many people have the surname Rafael on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.