Unisex name · since 2011

Rafa

138 babies named Rafa in U.S. Social Security records since 2011, with the highest year being 2023. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#15,325 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#5,576 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
138
born since 2011
2020s
peak decade

138 babies have been named Rafa since 2011, making it today's #5576 unisex name.

Social Security Administration records show Rafa recorded 138 times among boys since 2011, holding rank #5576 nationally today, ahead of 60% of boys, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 2011 to 2025.

  • #15,325 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #5,576 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 138 born since 2011
  • 2020s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rafa ranks #15,325 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,576 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 138 born since 2011, peaking in the 2020s.

#15,325 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#5,576 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
138
born since 2011
2020s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%59.9%
Rafa vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Rafa's 138 recorded births place it above 66.26% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

2 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by California.

How Rafa compares

138 31st percentile among 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Rafa's all-time total is 63% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Rafa Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 138 369 358,536
Peak-year births 20 34 22,252

Rafa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Rafa's SSA record in two at 2020 and the more recent half accounts for 66% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 34%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 2016, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2023 peak of 20, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Rafa popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2011–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2023)
20
Annual births at peak, across 15 years of records
0510152025 201120122015201620182019202020212022202320242025 17

Rafa popularity over time - girls

67 total births recorded since 1998 (Rafa as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 67 births
4681012 1998200320072010201220172019202120232024 6

Rafa by decade

2020s is the heaviest window (91 births, 66% of the file).

2020s was Rafa's strongest decade.

91 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 66% of all-time use.

Rafa births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2020s at 91 births (66% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

Rafa by state

Where Rafa concentrates geographically, total births since 2011

Geographically diffuse
Top 2 states by recorded births for the name Rafa
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
6 4.3%
#2 Florida
5 3.6%
California share of Rafa's total US births 4.3%
Even split

6 of 138 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Rafa?
Rafa has been given to 138 babies in the U.S. since 2011, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #15,325 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #5,576 of 13,930. 20 babies were born in 2023, its single highest year.
Where does Rafa sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rafa ranks #15,325 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,576 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Rafa most popular?
Rafa was most popular in the 2020s decade with 91 total births. The single peak year was 2023.
Where is Rafa most popular?
The top states for the name Rafa are California (6 births), Florida (5 births).
Is Rafa a unisex name?
Yes, Rafa is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 138 births, and as a girl's name it has 67 births.
How long has the name Rafa been used?
Records for Rafa go back to 2011, giving 15 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Rafa?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Rafael, Rafe, Raffaele, Rafeal, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Rafa's data

  • California records the most Rafas (6 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Rafa

Nearby Names Like Rafa

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rafa

Names with a similar popularity rank to Rafa

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Rafa: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 2011–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Rafa draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.