How Many People Are Named Rafay?
An estimated 283 people in the United States have the first name Rafay. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 14 years old, and Rafay peaked in popularity in 2009 with 22 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Rafay as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Rafay paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
283
About 1 in 1,211,146 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
100.0% confidence
Average Age
14
years old
Peak Year
2009
22 births
Total Registered
286
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Rafay
Rafay is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 286 total births registered, 100.0% were male.
Rafay as a male name
Ranked #6,709 in 2024
13 male births in 2024
Peak: 2009 (22 births)
Rafay in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 343 people with the first name Rafay, which placed it at #26,915 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Rafay was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 343 people with this name in that snapshot, 100.0% were male and 0.0% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 100.0% of the time.
Census Count
343
people with this name
Census Rank
#26,915
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.11
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Rafay was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Asian and Pacific Islander (93.00%). The next largest recorded groups were White (2.62%) and Two or More Races (2.62%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Rafay in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Rafay.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 93.00% | 319 |
| White | 2.62% | 9 |
| Two or More Races | 2.62% | 9 |
| Black | 1.17% | 4 |
| Hispanic | 0.58% | 2 |
Rafay: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Rafay span from the 1990s to the 2020s, covering 4 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 103 babies were registered. While Rafay is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Rafay by Decade
How has Rafay tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Rafay by State
Birth registrations for Rafay span all 3 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, New York, Illinois. The lowest are in Illinois, New York, Texas. On average, about 8 Rafays were registered per state.
Rafay + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Rafay as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Rafay
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
Rafay: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rafay?
We estimate approximately 283 people named Rafay are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,211,146 Americans share this first name.
Is Rafay a common name?
Rafay is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 78.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 286 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Rafay most popular?
Rafay reached peak popularity in 2009, when 22 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Rafay is approximately 14 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Rafay in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 343 people with the first name Rafay. That placed it at #26,915 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.11 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Rafay was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Rafay?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Rafay was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 100.0% male and 0.0% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Rafay?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Rafay was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Asian and Pacific Islander (93.00%). The next largest recorded groups were White (2.62%) and Two or More Races (2.62%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Rafay a male name?
Rafay is predominantly male. 100.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Rafay have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Rafay peaked in 2009, and the average living bearer is about 14 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Rafay Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Rafay Smith, Rafay Johnson, Rafay Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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