Rafael
Rafael is a male given name: 99% of people named Rafael are men, and it is recorded as male in 13 of the 13 countries covered.
Rafael · Rafaël
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 99% male / 1% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Spain, Armenia
- Also spelled
- Rafaël
- US births since 1880
- 77,331 male / 569 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Rafael
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Rafael," in English, "Guten Tag Rafael," in German. Rafael is a male given name: about 99% of people named Rafael are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Rafael,
German
Guten Tag Rafael,
French
Bonjour Rafael,
Spanish
Estimado/a Rafael:
Chinese
Rafael您好：
Japanese
Rafael様
English
Hi Rafael,
German
Hi Rafael,
French
Salut Rafael,
Spanish
Hola Rafael,
Chinese
Rafael你好：
Japanese
Rafaelさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | man's name | 99% |
| Spain | common | man's name | 98% |
| Armenia | common | man's name | 98% |
| Israel | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Azerbaijan | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Portugal | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Finland | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Slovenia | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Slovakia | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Czech Republic | rare | man's name | 98% |
Show all 13 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
77,331 male · 569 female · 77,900 births recorded
Since 1980: 99% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rafael a male or female name?
Rafael is a male given name: 99% of people named Rafael are men, and it is recorded as male in 13 of the 13 countries covered.
How do I address Rafael in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Rafael," in English, "Guten Tag Rafael," in German. Rafael is a male given name: about 99% of people named Rafael are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Rafael a unisex name?
Rafael is not a unisex name: 99% of people named Rafael are men. Rafael leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Rafael a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/rafael (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_rafael,
title = {Is Rafael a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/rafael},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}