Fun Facts About the Name Raffie
- 28 babies named Raffie: U.S. records list 28 babies given the name Raffie from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 boys received the name Raffie - about 1 boy for every 5 girls.
What Does the Name Raffie Mean?
Raffie is an English pet form of Raphael, a name taken from biblical Hebrew. The Hebrew name is built from rafa, a verb meaning "to heal," and El, a word for God, so the name is commonly translated "God has healed" or "God heals." That translation is a customary rendering rather than a word-for-word gloss; the elements literally mean something closer to "El heals," and the passive sense "has healed" follows the traditional reading.
As a diminutive, Raffie carries the meaning of the full name behind it rather than a meaning of its own. The ending -ie is the ordinary English way of forming a familiar short form, as in Jamie from James or Charlie from Charles. The parent name entered English through Greek Rhaphaēl and Latin Raphael, and it also appears in European languages as Rafael (Spanish, Portuguese), Raffaele (Italian), and Rafał (Polish).
Raffie Name History & Origins
Raphael is named in the Book of Tobit, where the archangel accompanies Tobit's son Tobias and heals Tobit's blindness. That association gave the name a firm place in Jewish and Christian tradition, and it was carried in religious use through Greek and Latin into medieval Europe. Forms of the name were especially common in Italy and the Iberian peninsula, which is why Rafael and Raffaele are widespread today.
Raffie belongs to the English habit of clipping fuller names and adding -ie or -y. It sits alongside the shorter English forms Rafe and Raff, and the spelling with -i, Raffi, is also used. In English-speaking countries Raffie is used mainly as a familiar name for a Raphael or Rafael, and only occasionally as a name in its own right.
A separate source exists as well: Raffie can be a short form of Rafferty, an English-language surname of Irish origin, from Ó Rabhartaigh. That derivation is unrelated to Raphael, so the same short form can rest on two different full names.
How Popular is the Name Raffie?
Raffie 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 1918. Its best rank was #4,304 in 1916.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | #4,933 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1921 | #5,703 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1918 | #4,718 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1916 | #4,304 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | #4,339 | 5 | 0.0002% |
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.
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with R
How the Name Raffie 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.
✦ Raffie's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Raffie's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.