The baby name Raphael feels romantic and traditional, plus it’s nicely underused.
Thanks to Natalie for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME RAPHAEL MEAN?
Raphael is a name of Hebrew origin. It means “God heals.”
He’s an archangel, and a major figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. As religious figures go, he’s well-known. John Milton included him in Paradise Lost.
His story is first told in the Book of Tobit. (Catholics and others include in the Bible; Protestants tend to consider it part of the Apocrypha.) It’s said he cures a man of blindness, among other miracles.
In other words, the archangel Raphael is very much a healer.
A handful of additional saints Raphael have been recorded.
It’s found all over the map. Odds are that many of the places are named for the angel. There’s more than one Saint-Raphaël in French-speaking countries, as well as several San Rafaels through the Spanish-speaking world.
The television series Supernatural gave us a version of the angel Raphael, too.
RAFFAELLO
Then there’s Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael.
A prolific artist, the architect and painter helped define the High Renaissance in Italy. A contemporary of Michelangelo and da Vinci, he’s a master of the era.
Perhaps Raffaello isn’t quite as well known as some of his contemporaries. But a 1980s animated series putting them back on equal footing.
The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles debuted way back in 1984. While the series has been rebooted, it’s never really gone away.
The premise? A quartet of turtles, exposed to the same radioactive isotopes that created comic book hero Daredevil, meet up with a wise sensei, who happens to be a rat, in the sewers of New York. They grow into pizza-loving crimefighters. The rat – Splinter – named them after Renaissance artists: Michaelangelo (a typo that stuck), Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael.
That makes the name instantly familiar to a generation – and counting.
RAPHAEL ACROSS EUROPE and THE WORLD
It’s not just Italian, though.
Versions of the baby name Raphael are heard in many languages, including:
- Spanish Rafael is popular in the United States, Spain, and throughout the Spanish-speaking world
- Rafael also occurs in Dutch, making it popular in the Netherlands, as well as Israel, and several Slavic countries
- Rafal is Polish
- Raphael is popular in French, including France, Belgium, and Quebec
- The -PH spelling is also used in German-speaking countries, including Austria
It’s a truly international choice.
If anything, the baby name Raphael is relatively uncommon in the English-speaking world.
HOW POPULAR IS THE BABY NAME RAPHAEL?
The baby name Raphael has ranked in the US Top 1000 every year since 1901, and most years before that.
But it’s never been common.
It rose in use in the late 1980s, into 1990.
Maybe those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did influence parents’ choices?
More likely, the rise of the very similar Gabriel opened the door for Raphael.
As of 2024, the baby name Raphael ranks #420 for boys in the United States.
Worth noting: Rafael continues to outpace the popularity of the name Raphael. The -f spelling comes in at #222 as of 2024.
SPANISH LANGUAGE INFLUENCE
In fact, Rafael might be another reason for the rise of Raphael.
So many parents are seeking English-Spanish crossover names. Just like Sophia and Sofia, Isabella and Isabelle both sit near the top of the popularity charts for girls, it’s easy to imagine parents embracing Rafael or Raphael as a boy’s name easily understood by Spanish-speaking family members.
NICKNAMES FOR RAPHAEL
Rafael shortens to Rafi and Rafa, but we also call Rafael and Raphael by another nickname: Rafe.
This gets a little confusing, because it’s possible to pronounce the Germanic Ralph the same way. Think Ralph Fiennes.
But there’s no overlap between Ralph and Raphael, despite the visual similarity.
A similar Arabic name, Raif or Raef, means compassionate.
TRADITIONAL AND VERSATILE
It sounds contradictory, but traditional names are always trending. Thirty years ago, it was Nicholas, Christopher, and Jacob. Now it’s Henry, Thedore, and Oliver.
The baby name Raphael seems like a possible succesor. With touchstones across various cultures, it’s an effortlessly international choice. It fits with so many trends – the -el ending of rising Eliel, Jasiel, and Castiel; the bright, strong nickname options.
There’s a drama and romance to Raphael, but it’s also a classic choice, with deep roots and enduring appeal. Call it an overlooked traditional, a name that quietly stands the test of time, but also offers a little bit of swagger and presence.
That might make Raphael or Rafael the perfect name for your family.
What do you think of the baby name Raphael?
First published on May 28, 2008, this post was updated on July 29, 2020 and again on September 15, 2025.
My name is Rafael, and i grew up in a spanksh speaking household, so my “true” name is Rrrah-fa-eL in spanish. Somehow from that i started introducing myself as you indicated when i was meeting people in english on my own. People usually end up pronoucing it the traditional way even though i had stated it your way. But it doesnt make impact, and i happen to go by Rafa anyway, due to being a junior. Maybe thats why i reverse engineered Rah-fee-el when left to my own devices? Never considered it til now!
My name is Raffaello . Raf for my Friends .
My son is Rafael Victor and we nicknamed him “Rio” (long story but it’s in honor of my grandfather Sergio – combined “R” with “io” AND not sure how I missed it, but “RIO” is the last 3 letters of MY last name – haha!). When we were considering nicknames for Rafael, I wanted Rafa (Rafa Nadal, anyone?) but it didn’t really stick. How I wish I’d seen this site when I was naming my babies back in 2008!
Thinking about this for a boy… Has anyone heard of the pronunciation RAY-fee-el? Would you still spell it Raphael? I prefer that pronunciation to Rah-fie-EL, and it’s easier to get Rafe from that.
My son is Rafael and we call him Rafi 50% of the time. My husband was partial to the f spelling vs the ph. We love it’s cross cultural appeal and it’s romantic, yet masculine sound. In fact, we love it so much that we are having a very hard time coming up with another boys name to join Rafael and big sister Naima. We have tossed around Desmond, Simeon, Conrad? We just don’t love anything like we did Rafael.
Ashleigh, I’ll post a Q on the Facebook page for you!
Thank you!
I am in exactly the same situation at the moment. I have a son named Rafael, Rafi for short, and we just can’t come up with something that we love as much. It’s really tricky!
We considered Raphaella Bathsheba (Surname), for a little girl, despite it’s overly religious tones. The only reason we changed our minds was because Raphael in male or female form is quite predominant in Hispanic communities. People, upon hearing that it was a name we were considering, asked if we were Spanish/Hispanic, and we are not. So it lead to us changing our minds and scratching it off our list. I have to admit, it would be hard to imagine Raphaella on a Platinum hair and fair skinned child.