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    The surname Raphael

    A Greek patronymic surname, carried by 4,366 people in the United States.

    Pronounced /ˌɹɑ.faɪˈɛl/ 3 syllables Soundex R140 Also a first name

    Raphael: #7,614 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#100Jimenez#1,000Archer Raphael #7,614, 4,366 people Raphael: #7,614 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#100Jimenez Raphael #7,614, 4,366 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Raphael is more common than 95.3% of them.

    Origin

    Greek origin

    From Latin Raphael, from Koine Greek Ῥᾱφᾱήλ (Rhāphāḗl), from Biblical Hebrew רָפָאֵל (Rāfāʾēl, literally “God cures/has healed”).

    Raphael is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

    One of 45 Greek surnames on this site.

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 4,366 people named Raphael in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 70,716 Americans. That is up 16% since 2000, when the Census counted 3,768.

    #7,614
    rank among US surnames
    4,366
    people in 2010
    1.5
    per 100,000 Americans
    +15.9%
    change since 2000 (was #8,107)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #7,609Minnich4,36970,667
    #7,612Urbano4,36870,684
    #7,613Saito4,36770,700
    #7,614Kasten4,36670,716
    #7,616Malin4,36570,732

    Who is named Raphael

    Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

    51% of people named Raphael identified as white (not Hispanic), 34% as Black (not Hispanic) and 6.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

    • White (not Hispanic) 51%
    • Black (not Hispanic) 34%
    • Hispanic or Latino (any race) 6.5%
    • Two or more races 3.1%
    • Asian and Pacific Islander 2.6%
    • American Indian and Alaska Native 2.4%

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous Raphaels

    4 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • June Diane Raphael
      American actress, comedian, and screenwriter, born 1980
    • Frederic Raphael
      American-British writer (born 1931)
    • Sally Jessy Raphael
      American television host, born 1935
    • Maurinho
      Brazilian footballer (1933-1995)

    Notable Raphaels come mostly from the United States (3) and Brazil (1).

    Spellings and sound-alikes

    Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

    Surnames that sound like Raphael

    Raphael has the Soundex code R140, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code R140.

    Other Greek surnames

    All 45 Greek surnames

    Questions

    Where does the surname Raphael come from?
    From Latin Raphael, from Koine Greek Ῥᾱφᾱήλ (Rhāphāḗl), from Biblical Hebrew רָפָאֵל (Rāfāʾēl, literally “God cures/has healed”).
    How common is the surname Raphael?
    4,366 people in the United States had the surname Raphael in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 70,716 Americans. It ranked 7,614th of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname Raphael?
    In the 2010 Census, 51% of people named Raphael identified as white (not Hispanic), and 34% as Black (not Hispanic).
    Who is the most famous person named Raphael?
    June Diane Raphael, American actress, comedian, and screenwriter, followed by Frederic Raphael.
    Where is the surname Raphael most common?
    Wikidata records people named Raphael in the United States and Brazil.
    How do you pronounce Raphael?
    Raphael is /ˌɹɑ.faɪˈɛl/, 3 syllables.
    What type of surname is Raphael?
    Raphael is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
    Is the surname Raphael getting more or less common?
    More common. 3,768 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 4,366 in 2010, up 16%.
    Is Raphael also a first name?
    Yes. Raphael is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.