Meaning of the nameRafaela
- Female
- Hebrew origin
- Ra-fa-e-la
- Biblical name
Rafaela is a feminine name of Hebrew origin, the feminine form of Rafael, a name meaning 'God heals'; Rafaella, Raphaela and Raphaella are spellings of the same name.
Meaning
“feminine form of Rafael, 'God heals'”
Source: Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Rafaela · Behind the Name: Rafaela · Behind the Name: Raphael
- People (2022)
- 317,643
- Rank in Brazil
- #88
- Median age
- 21 years
- 2010 Census
- 275,017
- people
Rafaela in the 2022 Census
People with the first name Rafaela, by the decade they were born. In the chart, 70 = the 1970s and 20+ = 2020 to 2022. The largest group was born in the 1990s (100,500 people).
315,866 women 1,777 men
Source: IBGE, 2022 Demographic Census, Nomes no Brasil. The census counts the first name of people alive in 2022; small counts are not published, and the first group covers everyone born before 1940. How to read these data.
Where the name Rafaela is most common
States with the highest share of people named Rafaela in the population, in the 2022 Census.
- Rio Grande do Sul 0.215%
- São Paulo 0.186%
- Paraná 0.186%
- Distrito Federal 0.183%
- Santa Catarina 0.178%
All states
| State | People | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 82,485 | 0.186% |
| Minas Gerais | 34,489 | 0.168% |
| Rio de Janeiro | 28,095 | 0.175% |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 23,409 | 0.215% |
| Paraná | 21,242 | 0.186% |
| Bahia | 18,125 | 0.128% |
| Santa Catarina | 13,535 | 0.178% |
| Pernambuco | 13,312 | 0.147% |
| Goiás | 10,512 | 0.149% |
| Pará | 9,621 | 0.119% |
| Ceará | 8,023 | 0.091% |
| Maranhão | 6,085 | 0.090% |
| Espírito Santo | 5,596 | 0.146% |
| Paraíba | 5,295 | 0.133% |
| Distrito Federal | 5,141 | 0.183% |
| Mato Grosso | 5,086 | 0.139% |
| Amazonas | 4,463 | 0.113% |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | 4,180 | 0.152% |
| Alagoas | 3,889 | 0.124% |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 3,753 | 0.114% |
| Sergipe | 2,965 | 0.134% |
| Piauí | 2,399 | 0.073% |
| Rondônia | 1,899 | 0.120% |
| Tocantins | 1,706 | 0.113% |
| Amapá | 897 | 0.122% |
| Acre | 856 | 0.103% |
| Roraima | 585 | 0.092% |
States with fewer than 15 people with the name are not shown: IBGE does not publish those counts.
About the name Rafaela
The Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil (Dictionary of Names in Use in Brazil) gives Rafaela as the feminine of Rafael and lists Raphaela among the spelling variants; Behind the Name describes it as the Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of Raphael. Rafael comes from Latin Raphael, Greek Ῥαφαήλ and Biblical Hebrew Rāp̄āʾēl, from rāp̄ā and ʾēl, according to Wiktionary; Behind the Name translates the name as 'God heals', from rafa ('to heal') and ʾel ('God'). In the Hebrew tradition, Rafael is the name of an archangel, who appears in the Book of Tobit. In the 2022 Census, IBGE recorded 317,643 people named Rafaela, with a median age of 21.
It is the most common spelling in the group, with an F and a single L.
Other spellings of Rafaela
Sources
- Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Rafaela · dicionariodenomesdobrasil.com.br · meaning
- Behind the Name: Rafaela · behindthename.com · meaning
- Behind the Name: Raphael · behindthename.com · meaning
- Wiktionary: Rafael · en.wiktionary.org · origin
- Wiktionary: Rafaela · en.wiktionary.org · spelling
Questions about the name Rafaela
What does the name Rafaela mean?
Rafaela means “feminine form of Rafael, 'God heals'”, according to Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil and Behind the Name.
How many people are named Rafaela in Brazil?
IBGE's 2022 Census recorded 317,643 people with the first name Rafaela, which ranks it number 88 among the country's names. The largest group was born in the 1990s.
Is Rafaela a boy's or a girl's name?
Rafaela is a female name: in the 2022 Census, 315,866 women and 1,777 men had this name.
What is the origin of the name Rafaela?
Rafaela is a name of Hebrew origin. The sources are listed at the end of the page.
In which Brazilian state is Rafaela most common?
Proportionally, in Rio Grande do Sul: 0.215% of the state's population is named Rafaela (23,409 people), according to the 2022 Census.
What are the other spellings of Rafaela?
Rafaella, Raphaela and Raphaella. IBGE counts each spelling separately.
Names that also mean God
See all- Gabriela♀Feminine form of Gabriel, 'God is my strong man'416,654 people
- Isabela♀Form of Isabel, from Elisheva, 'my God is an oath'358,542 people
- Daniela♀Feminine form of Daniel, 'God is my judge'285,876 people
- Joana♀Feminine of João, 'Yahweh is gracious'238,493 people
- Daniele♀Feminine form of Daniel, 'God is my judge'230,628 people
- Isabel♀My God is an oath212,274 people
- Daiane♀Form of Diane and Diana, 'divine'200,981 people
- Michele♀Feminine form of Michel (Miguel), 'who is like God?'187,281 people
More names of Hebrew origin
See all- Ana♀Grace, favor3,948,650 people
- Jéssica♀Probably from the biblical name Iscah, perhaps 'he will see'450,167 people
- Débora♀Bee322,208 people
- Jaqueline♀Feminine form of Jacques, a name that goes back to Jacob, explained…288,717 people
- Raquel♀Ewe282,435 people
- Josefa♀Feminine form of Joseph, 'he will add'274,653 people
- Geovana♀Variant of Giovanna, the Italian feminine of João, 'Yahweh is…185,085 people
- Edna♀Pleasure, delight183,091 people
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