Boys' name · peaked in 2025
Rafael name popularity since 1925
88,280 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Rafael (0.6% girls, 99.4% boys). Half of them were born in 1995 or earlier, so the typical Rafael is about 31 years old in 2026. Rafael peaked in 2025 as the #218 name for boys, and it ranked #218 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 88,280
- Named Rafael, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #218
- for boys in 2025 (1,639 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.4% boys
- 562 girls · 87,718 boys
- Most popular in
- California
- 2.63× its national share
Peak year is the year Rafael made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Rafael births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 2006. Measured as a share of all babies, Rafael peaked in 2025.
- Steepest fall: Between 1930 and 1935, Rafael's share of baby boys fell by 38%.
- Fastest rise: Between 1963 and 1968, it became 1.7× more common, from 1 in 3,860 baby boys to 1 in 2,260.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Rafael's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Rafael.
Decade by decade
Babies named Rafael in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 11 | 969 | – |
| 1930s | 18 | 1,402 | #519 |
| 1940s | 0 | 1,833 | #453 |
| 1950s | 20 | 3,954 | #353 |
| 1960s | 51 | 6,285 | #304 |
| 1970s | 128 | 9,592 | #215 |
| 1980s | 157 | 12,274 | #195 |
| 1990s | 121 | 14,370 | #205 |
| 2000s | 56 | 15,037 | #228 |
| 2010s | 0 | 12,794 | #294 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 9,208 | #218 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
26.2% of babies named Rafael from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Rafael is most popular
The index compares Rafael's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Rafael.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| California | 2.63× | 23,941 |
| Arizona | 2.38× | 2,653 |
| Texas | 2.37× | 15,991 |
| New Mexico | 2.12× | 1,009 |
| Nevada | 1.93× | 593 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Rafael's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Rafael.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Rafael (2025).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data