Rafe

“Variant of Ralph — Wolf counsel, from Old English raed (counsel) and wulf (wolf)” — Germanic origin

Boy's name · #1165 in the US (2025) · Trending

Rafe is climbing: on the charts since 1880, it is ranked #1165 in 2025, with about 180 boys given the name last year. Roughly 2,900 have carried it all-time.

Around the world: about 1 in 1,100 boys in England & Wales (2025) · about 1 in 1,600 boys in Scotland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 12 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Rafes

Rafe Spall — British actor
Rafe de Crespigny — Australian sinologist and historian (born 1936)
Rafe Wolfe — Jamaican association football player
Rafe Mair — Canadian politician (1931–2017)
Rafe M. Brown — zoologist

In stories & tradition

Rafe Adler — Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Rafe Hernandez — Days of Our Lives
Rafe Millburn — Prometheus

What Rafes become

Among 24 notable people named Rafe:

No single standout — notable Rafes spread across many fields.

Similar names: Ralph · Harlow · Rami · Holland · Raleigh · West

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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