Raphael
A name from the Hebrew archangel Raphael, meaning “God has healed,” later adopted as a surname, especially among Jewish families.
The #7,614 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 70,716 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Raphael comes from the Hebrew name Rəfā’ēl, made from rafa’ meaning “to heal” and ’el meaning “God.” The name therefore means “God has healed” or “healing of God.” As a surname, it developed from the given name Raphael, which was widely used because of the archangel Raphael in biblical and religious tradition.
History
Historical surname dictionaries describe Raphael as primarily a personal name turned surname, and note that it is especially common among Jews. In English records it appears as a hereditary surname as well as a Christian given name, and later produced related forms and spellings such as Raffle and Rapkin in some families. The name is also familiar from the Renaissance artist Raphael of Urbino, which helped keep it recognizable in European usage.
Origin
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Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because Raphael was the name of an archangel, the surname belongs to a small group of surnames that began as sacred personal names rather than occupations or places.
From the historical record
“Yorks Poll-Tax, A.D. i3jg. RAPHAEL (Heb.) Healed of Gob [Heb. R'phaM — rdphd, to heal ; El, God] RAPKIN = Ralph (q.v.) -\- the E. dim. suff. -kin. RAPKINS, Rapkin's (Son). RAPSON, Ralph's Son : v. Ralph. RASEN (Scand.) Bel. to Rasen (the name, with qualifying prefixes, of several ad-”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)