Rafe

The first name Rafe is an English abbreviation of Ralph or Ralf and derives from Radulf.

What does the name Rafe mean?

Rafe is an English short form of Ralph or Ralf, which has its origin in Radulf. The name means "the advising wolf" and is composed of the Old High German words rāt, meaning "the counsel", "the advisor" or "the advice", and wolf, which stands for "the wolf". Furthermore, Rafe is also considered an English variant of Raphael or Rafael, a Hebrew name that originates from the Bible and refers to one of the three archangels. Its translation is "God heals" or less literally "God heals (the soul)". This name has its roots in the ancient Hebrew terms rafá (רָפָא) for "heal" and ʾēl (אֵל) for "God" or "the Mighty". The origin of the name goes back to the angel Raphael, who is one of the four archangels.

Where does the name Rafe come from?

Rafe is a masculine first name with ancient Hebrew and Old High German origins, meaning "the advising wolf".

How do you pronounce Rafe?

Rafe is pronounced like 'Reif'.

Popularity

In Germany, Rafe is a fairly common first name. In 2022, it ranked 2,983rd on the list of the most popular male baby names. Over the last ten years, Rafe has been chosen around 20 times as a first name, placing it 5,320th in the ten-year statistics. Between 2010 and 2024, Rafe is ranked 5,827th. Regarding international popularity, you can check the current rankings of Rafe in the baby name charts of various countries.

Nicknames & pet names

Ray Ray

Famous people

• Khamis Eid Rafe Thani (Bahraini footballer)
• Rafe Champion (Australian philosopher)
• Rafe Custance (New Zealand actor)
• Rafe Esquith (American author)
• Rafe Gomez (writer from the USA)
• Rafe Spall (English actor)
• Rafe Stefanini (musician from America)
• Rafe Totengco (designer from America)
• Rafe Wolfe (Jamaican football player)