Boys' name · since 1880

Rafe

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 2,935 babies named Rafe, peaking in 2025. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#2,574 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,165 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
2,935
born since 1880
2010s
peak decade

Yes -- Rafe is the #1165 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 2,935 recorded since 1880.

Rafe has 2,935 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1165 as of the latest data, more common than 92% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- 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.

  • #2,574 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #1,165 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 2,935 born since 1880
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rafe ranks #2,574 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,165 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 2,935 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.

#2,574 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,165 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
2,935
born since 1880
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%91.6%
Rafe vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Rafe's 2,935 recorded births place it above 94.34% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

23 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

23 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.

How Rafe compares

2,935 Top 18% higher than 82% 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

Rafe's all-time total is 8x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Rafe Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 2,935 369 358,536
Peak-year births 179 34 22,252

Rafe's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Rafe splits its recorded history at 1979: 84% of all births land in the more recent half, 16% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1882 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2025 peak of 179 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Rafe popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2025)
179
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
050100150200 188019251952196719801992200420162025 179

Rafe by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (783 births, 27% of the file).

2010s was Rafe's strongest decade.

783 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.

Rafe births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 783 births (27% of all-time use).

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

How Rafe 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 Rafe's total volume

Rafe vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -76, 3.2%-146, 2.3%-144, 2.4%-146, 4.9%-113, 4.4%-144, 2.9%-114, 3.9%-46, 6.5%-145, 2%-48, 5.3%-29, 8.6%-145, 5.2%-116, 3.4%-126, 2.2%-146, 1.5%Rafe-146, 6.1%Rafe
Rafe vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Rafe by state

Where Rafe concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Rafe
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
145 4.9%
#2 California
108 3.7%
#3 Utah
93 3.2%
#4 Florida
42 1.4%
#5 Louisiana
42 1.4%
#6 Ohio
37 1.3%
#7 Indiana
22 0.7%
#8 Missouri
22 0.7%
Texas share of Rafe's total US births 4.9%
Even split

145 of 2,935 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 23 reporting states.

Rafe appears in 23 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Rafe? ▼
Rafe has been given to 2,935 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #2,574 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #1,165 of 13,930. 179 babies were born in 2025, its single highest year.
Where does Rafe sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rafe ranks #2,574 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,165 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 Rafe most popular? ▼
Rafe was most popular in the 2010s decade with 783 total births. The single peak year was 2025.
Where is Rafe most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Rafe are Texas (145 births), California (108 births), Utah (93 births).
How long has the name Rafe been used? ▼
Records for Rafe go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Rafe? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Rafael, Raffaele, Rafeal, Raffi, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Rafe's data

  • Rafe's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (783 total births) through the 2020s (738) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • Texas records the most Rafes (145 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 Rafe

Nearby Names Like Rafe

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

Rafael Boy
#218 89,379 births
Raffaele Boy
#4872 1,079 births
Rafeal Boy
925 births
Raffi Boy
#5663 839 births
Rafi Boy
#2904 734 births

Compare Rafe side by side: Rafe vs Rafael Rafe vs Raffaele Rafe vs Rafeal

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Rafe

Kalel #1164
4,400 births · Peak 2014
Denzel #1166
11,738 births · Peak 1993
Kasey #1163
12,623 births · Peak 1990
Kilian #1167
2,690 births · Peak 2023
Umar #1162
3,205 births · Peak 2025
Lux #1168
1,528 births · Peak 2022
Rogelio #1161
25,877 births · Peak 2005
Jean #1169
25,039 births · Peak 1993

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Rafe: 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, 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 Rafe 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.