Fun Facts About the Name Rufael
- 11 babies named Rufael: U.S. records list 11 babies given the name Rufael from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Rufael Mean?
Rufael is a form of the Hebrew name Refa'el (רְפָאֵל), which means "God has healed." It joins rafa, a verb meaning "to heal," with El, a Hebrew word for God. In the Hebrew Bible those two elements appear in personal names, but the angelic name Refa'el itself belongs to later Jewish writings rather than to the biblical books.
Rufael is the Amharic and Tigrinya form of this name (ሩፋኤል), used in Ethiopia and Eritrea, where it matches the archangel called Raphael in English. The Ethiopic spelling opens with an u vowel (Ru-), unlike the Hebrew vocalization Re-, and the same underlying name also exists in Europe as Raphael, Rafael, and Raffaele.
Rufael Name History & Origins
The angel Raphael is named in the Book of Tobit, an early Jewish work in which he accompanies Tobit's son on a journey and heals Tobit's blindness. Tobit belongs to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo canon, and the Ethiopian and Eritrean churches also preserve the Book of Enoch, which names Raphael among the archangels. Enoch survives complete only in Ge'ez, the liturgical language of those churches, which helps explain why this angelic name took root in the Horn of Africa as Rufael.
Rufael is used as a given name in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and their diaspora communities, alongside Ethiopic forms of other archangels' names such as Mikael and Gabre'el. Because Ge'ez and Amharic are written in the Ethiopic script, Rufael is a transliteration, and Latin-script variants such as Rufa'el also appear. The related European forms - Raphael in English, French, and German, Rafael in Spanish and Portuguese, Raffaele in Italian - descend from the same Hebrew name through Greek and Latin transmission, a separate line of development from the Ethiopian Rufael.
How Popular is the Name Rufael?
Rufael 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 2024. Its best rank was #12,031 in 2024.
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 | #13,510 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2024 | #12,031 | 6 | 0.0003% |
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 Rufael 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. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of 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.
✦ Rufael's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Rufael's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.