Rafael

ra-fa-EHL (Spanish); RA-fa-ehl (German); RAF-ay-ehl or raf-EYE-ehl (English)

Spanish; German; Croatian; Portuguese, variation of Raphael

"God has healed"

Rafael Origin and Meaning

The name Rafael is a boy's name of Spanish origin meaning "God has healed".

Energetic, sunny, and slightly romantic, Rafael is a popular choice in Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Croatia. Used internationally, Rafael is a Spanish variation of Raphael, that lends itself easily to the nicknames Rafi, Rafa and Rafe.

Derived from a Biblical, Hebrew name, meaning "God has healed", Rafael is associated with both an archangel in The Old Testament and with the master Renaissance artist.

With its lighter, more concise appearance and Its hint of flair and fun, the Rafael spelling is perhaps most famously borne by tennis play, Rafael Nadal.

Popular but not too popular in multiple different countries around the world, Rafael sits in the Top 100 in Mexico, Switzerland, Chile, and Uruguay,.

In the UK, it climbed to #181 in 2022 (though Rafferty and Raphael still outrank it), while in the US, it has been the favored spelling since the 1920s.

Given to 1500 babies in the US each year, Rafael fits in with currently trending choices like Jaziel and Azriel, while still feeling perfectly familiar.

Rafael Rank in US Top 1000

# 232 in the US

Rafael Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 364 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Rafael

• 232 US 2023
• 364 Nameberry 2025
• 168 Canada 2023
• 355 Future 2028
• 195 England 2023
• 41 Germany 2016
• 128 Netherlands 2015
• 60 Spain 2023
• 20 Portugal 2021
• 27 Mexico 2021
• 24 Brazil 2024
• 55 Switzerland 2023
• 42 Chile 2021
• 39 Croatia 2023

20 Names Similar to Rafael

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Rafael.

• Matthias
• Marco
• Maximilian
• Lorenzo
• Titus
• Ezekiel
• Maximus
• Julius
• Anton
• Julien
• Andreas
• Dimitri
• Emilio
• Adrien
• Nikolai
• Joaquin
• Kresnik
• Alexes
• Raphael
• Dmitri

Famous People Named Rafael

• Rafael Nadal (Parera) Spanish tennis player
• Rafael Vicente Correa (Delgado) President of Ecuador
• Rafael Leónidas Trujillo (Molina) Dominican dictator
• Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz U.S. Senator from Texas
• Rafael Yglesias American novelist and screenwriter
• Rafael Garcia American soccer player
• Rafael Benítez (Maudes) Spanish footballer and manager
• (José) Rafael Amaya (Núñez) Mexican actor, singer and model
• Rafael Palmeiro (Corrales) Cuban,American baseball player
• Rafael Márquez (Álvarez) Mexican footballer
• Rafael Halperin Israeli businessman, rabbi and pro wrestler
• Rafael "Rafinha" Alcántara do Nascimento Brazilian footballer
• Rafael Lange Severino aka Cellbit Brazilian YouTuber
• Rafael van der Vaart Dutch footballer
• Rafael "Rafa" Guevara (b. 2003) son of Allegra Huston; grandson of director John Huston
• Rafael Llamas (b. 2005) son of actors José Ángel Llamas and Mara Croatto
• Rafael Schofield (b. 2006) son of actress Sally Rogers and Jonathan Schofield
• Rafael Ritchie (b. 2011) son of director Guy Ritchie
• Rafael Fernández de Córdova y de Potesta (b. 2013) great,grandson of Franz, Duke of Hohenburg and Princess Elisabeth of Luxembourg
• Rafael Thomas (b. 2015) son of actor Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Thomas Baldwin

The name Rafael in Pop Culture

• Rafael Santo character on TV's "American Gothic"
• Rafael Solano character on TV's "Jane the Virgin"
• Rafael Diaz character in "Star vs. the Forces of Evil"
• Rafael Barba ADA on "Law and Oder: SVU"
• San Rafael California, USA (pron. "ruh,FELL")

International Variations of the name Rafael

• Raffaele Italian
• Raffaele Italian