Fun Facts About the Name Raffaele
- More than 1 thousand babies named Raffaele: U.S. records list 1,078 babies given the name Raffaele from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Raffaele Mean?
Raffaele is the Italian form of the Hebrew name Refa'el (רְפָאֵל), commonly translated "God has healed." The Hebrew name joins two elements: the verb rafa, "to heal," and El, "God." The same Hebrew name stands behind the English Raphael, the French Raphaël, the Spanish and Portuguese Rafael, and the Polish Rafał. In Italian the name took its own shape, with the final -e of standard masculine nouns; Raffaello is a variant of the same name rather than a separate one. The literal sense is a statement about God as healer, and the customary English rendering, "God has healed," reflects that rather than any single reported cure.
Raffaele Name History & Origins
The Hebrew name Refa'el is the name of an archangel. In the Book of Tobit - a book in the Catholic and Orthodox Old Testaments and represented among the Dead Sea Scrolls - the angel Raphael accompanies the young Tobias and heals the blindness of Tobias's father. The name also appears in the Jewish text known as 1 Enoch. Through this angelic figure the name entered Christian usage early and passed into Latin as Raphael, which in turn supplied the forms used across Europe.
Italian speakers reshaped the Latin name into Raffaele, and the archangel Raphael is venerated in Italy as a patron of travelers, the blind, and the sick, which helped keep the name in ordinary use. Its best-known Italian bearer is the painter Raffaello Sanzio (1483 - 1520), called Raphael in English; he signed his works with the Latinized "Raphael." Both Raffaele and Raffaello are current Italian spellings of the name.
How Popular is the Name Raffaele?
Raffaele has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1969. Its best rank was #1,340 in 1908.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,002 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2024 | #5,378 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2023 | #6,432 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2022 | #9,632 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #11,798 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #6,207 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #6,689 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #7,022 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #7,996 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #5,495 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2015 | #6,232 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2014 | #7,430 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #9,454 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #6,564 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #6,501 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #7,991 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #6,354 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #9,649 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #6,185 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #9,360 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #6,134 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #6,872 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #7,691 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #6,417 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2001 | #5,335 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #4,334 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #6,396 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #4,153 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1997 | #4,888 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1996 | #4,819 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #9,958 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #6,226 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1993 | #3,614 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1992 | #4,516 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1991 | #5,016 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1990 | #3,036 | 21 | 0.0010% |
| 1989 | #3,581 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1988 | #4,389 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #4,862 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #2,858 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1985 | #2,680 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1984 | #5,440 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #2,763 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1982 | #2,941 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1981 | #2,863 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1980 | #3,063 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1979 | #2,537 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1978 | #2,185 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1977 | #2,112 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 1976 | #2,310 | 20 | 0.0013% |
| 1975 | #2,113 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1974 | #2,101 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 1973 | #2,022 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 1972 | #2,954 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1971 | #2,349 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1970 | #2,481 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1969 | #1,711 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1968 | #2,284 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1967 | #2,112 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1966 | #2,112 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1965 | #2,440 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1964 | #1,782 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1963 | #2,644 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1962 | #3,237 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #2,852 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #2,651 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1959 | #2,987 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #4,368 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1956 | #3,459 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1936 | #3,953 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1932 | #4,162 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1928 | #4,606 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1926 | #4,088 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #3,778 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1923 | #2,418 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1922 | #3,471 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1921 | #3,799 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1919 | #3,070 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1918 | #2,664 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1917 | #2,534 | 11 | 0.0012% |
| 1916 | #4,372 | 5 | 0.0006% |
| 1915 | #2,421 | 11 | 0.0013% |
| 1914 | #2,075 | 11 | 0.0017% |
| 1912 | #1,852 | 9 | 0.0021% |
| 1908 | #1,340 | 6 | 0.0039% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Raffaele Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are a law unto itself. Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You are tolerant and like to help humanity. You are very active. You are generally warmhearted and gives freely of your time, energy, and sympathetic understanding. You have tolerance and acceptance of the frailties of others. Universal and humanitarian in outlook. This is very compassionate name. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Raffaele's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Raffaele's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.