Will my child share the name Rafa with classmates?

Unlikely. With around 15 UK babies named Rafa per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Rafa in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.

Is Rafa becoming more or less popular in the UK?

Rafa is at its highest recorded position — #1,705 in 2025, with 15 births. In 2020 it ranked #1,935.

Is Rafa a good choice for a distinctive name?

Rafa is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.

Who are some famous people named Rafa?

Notable people named Rafa include: Rafa Cabrera-Bello — Rafael Cabrera-Bello is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour, where he has won four times.; Rafa Ancheta — Rafaela "Rafa" Medina Ancheta is a former footballer.; Rafa Usín — Rafael Usín Guisado, commonly known as Rafa Usín, is a Spanish futsal player who plays for FC Barcelona Futsal as a Pivot..

Is Rafa a popular baby name in the United States?

Rafa does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice.

👦 Boy's name 💎 Relatively Unique UK #1705

Rafa

🗳️ Add Rafa to a family shortlist

Rafa is a distinctive choice, ranked #1705 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Rafa in their class.

💎

UK Rank 2025

#1705

About the Name Rafa

Rafa has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 2909 places in five years. It was most popular in 2020 at #1935 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a regular feature in UK records since 1999.

Rafa is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Rafa in their class.

⭐ Famous People Named Rafa

Rafa Salama — Rafa Salama was a Palestinian militant and the head of the Khan Yunis branch of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.
Rafa Cabrera-Bello — Rafael Cabrera-Bello is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour, where he has won four times.
Rafa Ancheta — Rafaela "Rafa" Medina Ancheta is a former footballer.

Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.