Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2011

Rafaela

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,922 Trend ↑ Rising 13%
Rank 2025
#2,922
among girls · ↑150 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
58
named Rafaela · +9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 27,712
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2011
60 babies
All-time total
3,516
#3,246 all-time among girls
First recorded
1887
in Social Security records

Rafaela popularity over time

3,516 babies have been named Rafaela since 1887, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1903Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s 12 1 – #1,133
1890s 38 4 +217% #1,077
1900s 107 11 +182% #807
1910s 233 23 +118% #1,064
1920s 437 44 +88% #1,042
1930s 286 29 -35% #1,192
1940s 256 26 -10% #1,453
1950s 279 28 +9% #1,429
1960s 201 20 -28% #2,290
1970s 225 23 +12% #2,663
1980s 234 23 +4% #2,503
1990s 222 22 -5% #3,610
2000s 276 28 +24% #3,851
2010s 416 42 +51% #2,897
2020s (to 2025) 294 49 +18% #2,922

Where Rafaela is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 59 0.04 outside top 500
2027 61 0.04 outside top 500
2028 62 0.04 outside top 500
2029 63 0.04 outside top 500
2030 64 0.04 outside top 500

Where Rafaela is most popular

Girls named Rafaela per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.030 per 1,000. Strongest in Florida, New York, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Rafaela born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Florida 35 0.082 +169%
New York 22 0.056 +82%
California 42 0.050 +64%
Texas 30 0.037 +23%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Rafaela

Rafaela is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,922 in 2025 with 58 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1887, 3,516 American babies have been named Rafaela. Its peak came in 2011, when 60 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Rafaela stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Rafaela?

The median living Rafaela is about 34 years old; half are between 12 and 61. An estimated 2,300 people named Rafaela are alive in the United States today.

median 34 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Rafaela year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 58 #2,922
2024 53 #3,072
2023 48 #3,372
2022 48 #3,358
2021 40 #3,787
2020 47 #3,326
2019 55 #2,990
2018 45 #3,478
2017 32 #4,464
2016 45 #3,508
2015 38 #3,969
2014 41 #3,765
2013 31 #4,619
2012 35 #4,275
2011 60 #2,897
2010 34 #4,379
2009 41 #3,851
2008 35 #4,431
2007 27 #5,352
2006 26 #5,344
2005 32 #4,347
2004 28 #4,791
2003 22 #5,556
2002 24 #5,051
2001 21 #5,517
2000 20 #5,643
1995 17 #5,624
1990 24 #4,194
1985 21 #3,949
1980 26 #3,291
1975 22 #3,231
1970 18 #3,538
1965 23 #2,590
1960 21 #2,706
1955 17 #2,813
1950 42 #1,429
1945 27 #1,613
1940 24 #1,630
1935 21 #1,710
1930 40 #1,192
1925 48 #1,115
1920 35 #1,344
1915 24 #1,511
1910 17 #1,101
1905 8 #1,512
1900 6 #1,886
1895 6 #1,561
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Rafaela

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Rafaela Silva Rafaela Silva Brazilian judoka (born 1992) Contemporary
  2. 2 Rafaela Aparicio Rafaela Aparicio Spanish actress 1906–1996 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Rafaela, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Rafaela?

The median living Rafaela is about 34 years old. Half of all living Rafaelas are between 12 and 61 years old.

How many people named Rafaela are alive today?

An estimated 2,300 people named Rafaela are alive in the United States, based on 3,516 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Rafaela in 2025?

Rafaela ranked #2,922 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 58 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Rafaela?

3,516 babies have been named Rafaela in the United States since 1887, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Rafaela most popular?

Rafaela peaked in 2011, when 60 newborns received the name.

Is Rafaela a boy or girl name?

Rafaela is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Rafaela rising or falling?

Rafaela is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Rafaela become more popular?

Rafaela is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 64 girls named Rafaela in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Rafaela?

Well-known people named Rafaela include Rafaela Silva (wrestler), Rafaela Aparicio (actor).

Names like Rafaela

Names that sound and feel close to Rafaela: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Rafaela with similar names → More names starting with R →