Find out how popular the last name Raphiel is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Raphiel.

Raphiel, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Raphiel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Raphiel in America

Raphiel is the 151532nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Raphiel surname appeared 108 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Raphiel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Raphiel to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Raphiel

The surname RAPHIEL is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region of Lebanon or Syria, around the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Hebrew name "Raphael," which means "God has healed" or "God's healing." This name is associated with the archangel Raphael, who is mentioned in the Book of Tobit in the Bible.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname RAPHIEL can be found in a manuscript from the 13th century, which mentioned a merchant named Raphiel ibn Suleiman who traded between Damascus and Cairo. This suggests that the name may have been adopted by Jewish or Arabic families in the region during that time period.

In the 14th century, the surname RAPHIEL appears in several records from the city of Aleppo, which was then part of the Mamluk Sultanate. These records include mentions of a family of weavers and traders who bore the surname. It is possible that the name spread from the Levant region to other parts of the Middle East and the Mediterranean during this period of trade and cultural exchange.

During the 16th century, the surname RAPHIEL can be found in records from the Ottoman Empire, particularly in areas such as Istanbul and Izmir. One notable individual from this time was Raphiel Effendi, a diplomat and scholar who served as the Ottoman ambassador to Venice in the late 1500s.

As the centuries passed, the surname RAPHIEL also began to appear in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and diaspora communities. In the 18th century, for instance, there are records of a French artist named Pierre RAPHIEL who was born in Marseille in 1734 and gained recognition for his landscape paintings.

Another notable individual with the surname RAPHIEL was Leah RAPHIEL, a Jewish writer and activist who was born in London in 1875. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and authored several books on topics related to feminism and Judaism.

Throughout history, the surname RAPHIEL has been spelled in various ways, including Raphael, Rafiel, and Rafaiel, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions. While the name may have originated in the Middle East, it has since been adopted by families across the globe, each with their own unique stories and connections to this ancient surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Raphiel

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Raphiel.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Raphiel was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Raphiel has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Raphiel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Raphiel, please contact us.

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