Boys' name · since 1972
Rafiel
91 babies named Rafiel in U.S. Social Security records since 1972, with the highest year being 1981. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #18,044 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 91
- born since 1972
- 1980s
- peak decade
Rafiel is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 91 have been recorded since 1972.
Rafiel has 91 recorded births among boys since 1972, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1972 to 2019.
- #18,044 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 91 born since 1972
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Rafiel ranks #18,044 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 91 born since 1972, peaking in the 1980s.
- #18,044 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 91
- born since 1972
- 1980s
- peak decade
Rafiel's 91 recorded births place it above 60.31% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Rafiel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Rafiel's full recorded timeline at 1989, 45% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 55% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1974, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1981 peak of 8 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Rafiel popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1972–2019
- Peak year (1981)
- 8
- Annual births at peak, across 48 years of records
Rafiel by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (38 births, 42% of the file).
1980s was Rafiel's strongest decade.
38 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 42% of all-time use.
Rafiel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s
1970s
17 births
- 1980s
1980s
38 births
- 1990s 5
1990s
5 births
- 2000s 15
2000s
15 births
- 2010s
2010s
16 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 38 births (42% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Rafiel? ▼
Where does Rafiel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Rafiel most popular? ▼
How long has the name Rafiel been used? ▼
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What to do with Rafiel's data
- Rafiel's usage has stayed within range of its 1980s decade-level peak (38 total births) through the 2010s (16) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Rafiel
Nearby Names Like Rafiel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Rafiel
Compare Rafiel side by side: Rafiel vs Rafael Rafiel vs Rafe Rafiel vs Raffaele
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Rafiel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1981)
Similar record span (~47 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, 1972–2019 (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 Rafiel 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.