Raphael, of Hebrew origin, signifies "God has healed." In the Bible, Raphael is one of the seven archangels who stands against the forces of darkness. The name gained prominence in the Middle Ages through the popularization of stories involving these celestial beings. Historically, it has been used among various cultures and languages, including Italian (Raffaello), French (Raphaël), Spanish (Rafael), and German (Raphäel). Notable figures bearing this name include Raphael Sanzio, an influential Italian painter of the High Renaissance period, and Rafael Nadal, a renowned Spanish tennis player.
Raphael's popularity as a baby name has had notable fluctuations over the years. The peak period was from the late 70s to early 80s with a high of 81 births in 1990, followed by a steady decline until the late 90s. Since then, it has maintained a consistent but lower popularity, reaching as low as 7 births in recent years like 2011 and 2023. Overall, there have been 1535 recorded births with the name Raphael since 1914.