Meaning and history
Rafael is the Spanish, Portuguese and several other European-language form of Raphael, a Hebrew name meaning "God heals." In Jewish and Christian tradition, Raphael is an archangel who appears in the Book of Tobit and restores Tobit's sight. Famous bearers include Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal and Renaissance artist Raphael, born Raffaello Sanzio.
20062006: 1,702 births, rank #217
2007: 1,622 births, rank #228
2008: 1,541 births, rank #240
2009: 1,345 births, rank #257
2010: 1,333 births, rank #257
20112011: 1,274 births, rank #274
2012: 1,231 births, rank #286
2013: 1,208 births, rank #287
2014: 1,205 births, rank #293
2015: 1,226 births, rank #293
20162016: 1,238 births, rank #291
2017: 1,282 births, rank #283
2018: 1,405 births, rank #258
2019: 1,392 births, rank #261
2020: 1,424 births, rank #246
20212021: 1,490 births, rank #237
2022: 1,517 births, rank #232
2023: 1,517 births, rank #231
2024: 1,621 births, rank #222
20252025: 1,639 births, rank #218
Rafael rose from #222 to #218 for boys between 2024 and 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 2006, with 1,702 births.