2000
#8,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,768
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Raphael
A surname of Hebrew origin meaning "God has healed," derived from the Biblical archangel Raphael.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,258 Americans carry the last name Raphael. That puts it at #7,055 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,187 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Raphael 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 Raphael with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 65,187
Census rank
#7,055
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,585 bearers of the surname Raphael in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7055th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Raphael, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.1%. The next largest groups are Black (37.3%) and Hispanic (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Raphael
The surname Raphael originates from the Hebrew language and is derived from the word "Refael", meaning "God has healed". It is believed to have been adopted as a surname by Jewish families in the Middle Ages, primarily in Germany and surrounding regions.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Raphael can be traced back to the 13th century in various German city records and tax rolls. In some cases, the name was spelled as "Raphel" or "Raffael", reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Raphael was the Italian Renaissance artist and architect, Raffaello Santi (1483-1520), better known simply as Raphael. Although he did not use it as a surname, his given name contributed significantly to the popularity and recognition of the name across Europe.
Another prominent individual with the surname Raphael was Sir Herbert Raphael (1859-1924), a British lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Derbyshire from 1900 to 1918. He played a significant role in the campaign for Jewish emancipation in Britain.
In the realm of literature, the American author and playwright Frederic Raphael (born 1931) is known for his works such as "The Glittering Prizes" and "The Sokol Company". His surname has its roots in the Jewish tradition and reflects the widespread adoption of the name across various communities.
The surname Raphael also has a notable presence in the field of science. One example is the British mathematician and computer scientist Raphael M. Robinson (1911-1995), who made significant contributions to mathematical logic and decision problems.
Lastly, the Austrian-born American conductor and violinist Raphael Bronstein (1908-1990), who performed under the stage name Raphael Bronstein, is another notable figure associated with the surname Raphael. His name reflects the Jewish heritage of the name and its enduring presence across various cultures and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Raphael
Among Census respondents with the surname Raphael, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.1%. The next largest groups are Black (37.3%) and Hispanic (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Raphael 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 Raphael surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.1% · 2,069
- Black or African American37.3% · 1,710
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 365
- Two or more races3.8% · 176
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 173
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 92
Timeline
Historical Census data for Raphael
Raphael 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
#7,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,366
+598 bearers (+15.9%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 493 places
2020
#7,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,585
+219 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 559 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,107 | 3,768 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,614 | 4,366 | 1.48 | +598 bearers (+15.9%) | Up 493 places |
| 2020 | #7,055 | 4,585 | 1.53 | +219 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 559 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 Raphael 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 | #7,614 | #7,055 | 7.3% |
| Count | 4,366 | 4,585 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.53 | 3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Raphael bearers went from 4,366 to 4,585 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 559 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,614 to #7,055.
FAQ
Raphael surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Raphael?
Name Census estimates that about 5,258 living Americans carry the surname Raphael. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,187 residents.
How common is Raphael?
Raphael ranks #7,055 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,585 people with the surname Raphael. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,258), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Raphael.
Has Raphael become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Raphael went from 4,366 recorded bearers to 4,585. That is an increase of 219 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,614 to #7,055.
What does the Census say about the background of Raphael?
Among Census respondents with the surname Raphael, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.1%. The next largest groups are Black (37.3%) and Hispanic (8.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Raphael in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.1% (2,069 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Raphael appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (45.1%), Black (37.3%), Hispanic (8.0%). 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 Raphael (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 Raphael mean?
A surname of Hebrew origin meaning "God has healed," derived from the Biblical archangel Raphael. 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 Raphael (1.53 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 Raphael?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Raphael on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.