Rafa
Mostly boys · RA-fa · Hebrew
Rafa is a name of Hebrew origin, meaning “God heals”. In 2025 it ranked 1,771st for boys in the UK (15 babies) and 5,397th for boys in the US (17 babies).
What does Rafa mean?
Hebrew: Spanish short form of Rafael
“God heals”
A Spanish short form of Rafael, familiar from tennis player Rafa Nadal.
- Say it
- RA-fa
More on Wiktionary.
Is Rafa a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Rafa has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys. In 2025, it was given to 6 girls and 15 boys in the UK and 17 boys in the US.
How popular is Rafa in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,771among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 15about 1 in 20,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 19% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 15 boys in the UK were named Rafa, making it the 1,771st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,829th. 6 girls were also named Rafa in 2025 (3,776th for girls).
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had the most boys named Rafa of any year since it first appeared, in 2010.
Half of all the boys named Rafa in the UK since 1996 were born between 2016 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 19 boys in the UK were given Rafa or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,288, up from #1,771 for this spelling alone.
- Rafa 15
- Rapha 4
In 2025, 29% of the babies named Rafa in the UK were girls.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,703rd in England and Wales.
Rafa in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 | #1,771 |
| 2024 | 12 | #2,009 |
| 2023 | 11 | #2,155 |
| 2022 | 9 | #2,457 |
| 2021 | 10 | #2,257 |
| 2020 | 13 | #1,829 |
| 2019 | 12 | #1,974 |
| 2018 | 7 | #2,823 |
| 2017 | 4 | #4,161 |
| 2016 | 6 | #3,241 |
| 2015 | 7 | #2,855 |
| 2014 | 4 | #4,063 |
| 2013 | 5 | #3,466 |
| 2012 | 1 | #6,332 |
| 2011 | 4 | #3,986 |
| 2010 | 4 | #4,026 |
How popular is Rafa in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,397among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 17about 1 in 100,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 108% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 17 boys in the US were named Rafa, making it the 5,397th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 8,734th. Its busiest year was 2023, with 20 boys. It first appears in the records in 2011.
Half of all the boys named Rafa in the US since 1880 were born between 2018 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.
Rafa in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17 | #5,397 |
| 2024 | 17 | #5,439 |
| 2023 | 20 | #4,882 |
| 2022 | 19 | #5,015 |
| 2021 | 10 | #7,582 |
| 2020 | 8 | #8,734 |
| 2019 | 10 | #7,638 |
| 2018 | 8 | #8,813 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 5 | #12,180 |
| 2015 | 7 | #9,562 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 9 | #8,152 |
| 2011 | 8 | #8,760 |
Names like Rafa
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Musa Hamza Zayaan Huzaifa Muhammad Zayan Eesa Mustafa Zayd Ayyub Ibrahim Zayyan
Other spellings of Rafa
Names related to Rafa
More Hebrew names
Noah Isabella Elijah James Jack Mia Ava Jude Ezra Benjamin Isaac Jacob Ethan Daniel Samuel Elias