Rafael, a variant of Raphael, comes from the Hebrew name Rafa'el and is derived from the Hebrew elements rafa, meaning "to heal," and el, referring to the Hebrew God. Therefore, it translates to "God heals" or "God is my healer." In the Bible, Raphael is one of the seven archangels who stand before the throne of God. Rafael has appeared in the Social Security Administration's top 1,000 every year since 1900, but didn't start gaining popularity until the mid-1900s. It debuted inside the top-200 for the first time in 1982 and has been a top-300 boy's name every year since 1965. It's also the name tennis pro Rafael Nadal gave his son Rafael Jr., born in 2022.
