Girls' name · since 1887
Rafaela
3,516 babies named Rafaela in U.S. Social Security records since 1887, with the highest year being 2011. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3,246 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,900 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,516
- born since 1887
- 1920s
- peak decade
3,516 babies have been named Rafaela since 1887, making it today's #2900 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rafaela has been recorded 3,516 times among girls since 1887, currently ranked #2900 nationally and more common than 83% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1887 to 2025.
- #3,246 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,900 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 3,516 born since 1887
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rafaela ranks #3,246 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,900 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 3,516 born since 1887, peaking in the 1920s.
- #3,246 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,900 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,516
- born since 1887
- 1920s
- peak decade
Rafaela's 3,516 recorded births place it above 95.51% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
8 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Rafaela compares
3,516 Top 17% higher than 83% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Rafaela's all-time total is 9x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Rafaela | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 3,516 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 60 | 21 | 19,840 |
Rafaela's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Rafaela's SSA record in two at 1959 and the more recent half accounts for 54% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 46%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1892, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2011 peak of 60, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Rafaela popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1887–2025
- Peak year (2011)
- 60
- Annual births at peak, across 139 years of records
Rafaela by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (437 births, 12% of the file).
1920s was Rafaela's strongest decade.
437 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 12% of all-time use.
Rafaela births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 12
1880s
12 births
- 1890s 38
1890s
38 births
- 1900s 107
1900s
107 births
- 1910s
1910s
233 births
- 1920s
1920s
437 births
- 1930s
1930s
286 births
- 1940s
1940s
256 births
- 1950s
1950s
279 births
- 1960s
1960s
201 births
- 1970s
1970s
225 births
- 1980s
1980s
234 births
- 1990s
1990s
222 births
- 2000s
2000s
276 births
- 2010s
2010s
416 births
- 2020s
2020s
294 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 437 births (12% of all-time use).
How Rafaela compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Rafaela's total volume
Rafaela by state
Where Rafaela concentrates geographically, total births since 1887
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 1,038 | 29.5% |
| #2 | California | | 553 | 15.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 179 | 5.1% |
| #4 | Florida | | 101 | 2.9% |
| #5 | Arizona | | 34 | 1.0% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 20 | 0.6% |
| #7 | New Mexico | | 13 | 0.4% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 7 | 0.2% |
1,038 of 3,516 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 8 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Rafaela? ▼
Where does Rafaela sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Rafaela most popular? ▼
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What to do with Rafaela's data
- Rafaela's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (437 total births) through the 2020s (294) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Rafaelas (1,038 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Rafaela
Nearby Names Like Rafaela
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rafaela
Compare Rafaela side by side: Rafaela vs Rafaella Rafaela vs Raffaela Rafaela vs Rafael
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Rafaela
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Rafaela: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2011)
Similar record span (~138 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, 1887–2025 (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 Rafaela 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.