Rafferty is a distinctive choice, ranked #221 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Rafferty in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2024
#221
About the Name Rafferty
Rafferty is climbing rapidly up the charts, having climbed 4314 places in just five years. Its best recorded rank was #172 in 2023 — and current momentum suggests it could challenge that mark again. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 2000.
Rafferty is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Rafferty
Unlikely. With around 222 UK babies named Rafferty per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Rafferty in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Rafferty is currently rising in popularity in the UK, up 4314 places over the last five years to #221 in 2024. If this trend continues, it will become more common in classrooms over the next decade.
Rafferty 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.
Notable people named Rafferty include: Darren Rafferty — Darren Rafferty is an Irish cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam EF Education–EasyPost.; Laura Rafferty — Laura Marie Rafferty is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Scottish Women's Premier League club Rangers and the Northern...; Jack Rafferty — Jack Rafferty is an English professional boxer..
Rafferty does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Raffertys in the wild.
222
UK babies named Rafferty (2024)
~0.0
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.1
In a school of 600
↑ 4314 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Rafferty
Likely around 1 other Rafferty in the class
UK Popularity (2000–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Rafferty
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Darren Rafferty is an Irish cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam EF Education–EasyPost. He was the 2024 Irish National Road Race champion, becoming the first Irish-born winner of the elite men's road race since Damien Shaw in 2015.
Laura Marie Rafferty is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Scottish Women's Premier League club Rangers and the Northern Ireland national team. She previously played for Chelsea.
Jack Rafferty is an English professional boxer. He has held the Commonwealth super-lightweight title since December 2023 and the British title since October 2024.
Anne Marie Rafferty, Baroness Rafferty is a British nurse, academic and researcher. She is the professor of nursing policy and the former dean of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care at King's College London.