Boys' name · since 1880
Rafael
89,379 babies named Rafael in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2006. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #336 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #218 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 89,379
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
Rafael currently ranks #218 among boys' names in America, with 89,379 babies recorded since 1880.
Rafael has 89,379 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #218 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #336 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #218 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 89,379 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rafael ranks #336 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #218 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 89,379 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #336 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #218 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 89,379
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
Rafael's 89,379 recorded births place it above 99.26% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
43 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Rafael compares
89,379 Top 3% higher than 97% of 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
Rafael's all-time total is 242x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Rafael | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 89,379 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,702 | 34 | 22,252 |
Rafael's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Rafael's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 92% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 8%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1884, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2006 peak of 1,702, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Rafael popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2006)
- 1,702
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Rafael popularity over time - girls
568 total births recorded since 1923 (Rafael as girls' name)
Rafael by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (15,037 births, 17% of the file).
2000s was Rafael's strongest decade.
15,037 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Rafael births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 65
1880s
65 births
- 1890s 84
1890s
84 births
- 1900s 172
1900s
172 births
- 1910s 608
1910s
608 births
- 1920s 1,701
1920s
1,701 births
- 1930s 1,402
1930s
1,402 births
- 1940s 1,833
1940s
1,833 births
- 1950s 3,954
1950s
3,954 births
- 1960s
1960s
6,285 births
- 1970s
1970s
9,592 births
- 1980s
1980s
12,274 births
- 1990s
1990s
14,370 births
- 2000s
2000s
15,037 births
- 2010s
2010s
12,794 births
- 2020s
2020s
9,208 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 15,037 births (17% of all-time use).
How Rafael compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Rafael's total volume
Rafael by state
Where Rafael concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 24,026 | 26.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 16,623 | 18.6% |
| #3 | New York | | 12,425 | 13.9% |
| #4 | Florida | | 4,790 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 4,458 | 5.0% |
| #6 | New Jersey | | 2,946 | 3.3% |
| #7 | Arizona | | 2,782 | 3.1% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 1,578 | 1.8% |
24,026 of 89,379 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Rafael appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Rafael's data
- Rafael's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (15,037 total births) through the 2020s (9,208) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Rafaels (24,026 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 Rafael
Nearby Names Like Rafael
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rafael
Compare Rafael side by side: Rafael vs Rafe Rafael vs Raffaele Rafael vs Rafeal
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Rafael
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Rafael: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2006)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
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, 1880–2025 (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 Rafael 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.